Apartment fire investigation continues; most of the displaced find place to stay

Published 5:06 pm Monday, July 21, 2014

Renton fire investigators on Monday continued to investigate the cause of a four-alarm fire Saturday afternoon that displaced 39 residents from a Renton apartment complex.

One building was destroyed and two heavily damaged at the Regency Woods apartment complex off the old Benson Road not far from City Hall.

The fire destroyed or damaged 23 apartment units.

The fire was reported at 1:46 p.m., the first of numerous 911 calls.

Fire units from South King County, Pierce and Snohomish counties, Bellevue and Seattle were called in to help battle the blaze, which was spread by wind into the apartment complex.

Spot fires were set in dry grass and trees by embers some distance from the fire, which was one of the reasons for the extensive fire response.

“The investigation is still in process, as the size of the fire and the number of witnesses has been very time consuming,” said Deputy Renton Fire Chief Erik Wallgren.

The American Red Cross was called in to help displaced residents, but it wasn’t necessary to open an emergency shelter because most residents found somewhere to stay, according to an American Red Cross spokesman.

“Right now, we’re actively helping five families navigate the process,” spokesman Colin Downey said Monday.

Renton Reporter reporters Tracey Compton and Dean A. Radford contributed to this report.