Investigators locate second victim following Christmas Day fire at south Everett home – ` 7 News Seattle

Everett

EVERETT, Wash. — Investigators have located a second victim following a fire at a south Everett fourplex on Sunday night.

The fire was reported at a building on Third Avenue Southeast, just west of the Everett Mall, just before 11:30 pm

“I thought somebody was breaking in, but then I checked, and then I saw fire and then when I went there, not as much people were there but later, there was tons of people there,” said Angel, a neighbor who witnessed the fire.

Fire crews found one victim in one of the four units, and the flames were under control about 35 minutes later.

“Since the fire was a little bit spreading to the ground, I started getting scared because more and more fire just happened until the firefighters came,” Angel said.

Some neighbors who lived in the same fourplex had to evacuate.

“Me and her were in the bed. It was late, and she saw the smoke coming out and we went and jumped out,” Cuong Nguyen said.

At that time, the Everett Fire Department said there were no other victims or any injuries to the building’s occupants. But once fire investigators began working to identify the cause and origin of the fire, they received conflicting information on the number of residents at the fourplex.

“I saw out of my windows all I saw was flashing lights, and then I looked out the window, and all I see was big plumes of smoke, and I felt a little bit of smoke when I stepped outside of the door,” Edward Desrosier said.

On Wednesday, investigators returned to the home to conduct a follow-up search of the building.

A second victim was located on the top floor of the building, underneath an “extensive” amount of debris, during that search.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of both victims’ deaths and establish their identities.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation, but investigators’ preliminary findings do not indicate that any criminal activity is involved, according to the Everett Fire Department.