Three-alarm fire causes $1.3 million damage to Renton condos Sunday

Published 9:41 am Monday, April 20, 2015

A three-alarm fire Sunday afternoon that resulted in $1.3 million damage to a condominium complex was caused by a cigarette tossed into a planter containing peat moss, according to the Renton fire department.

No firefighters or residents were injured in the fire at the River View Condominiums on the Maple Valley Highway at about 2:15 p.m., although pets were rescued. Arriving fire crews searched for occupants.

The fire started on the second-floor deck, moved up the siding to the soffit and entered the unprotected soffit framing through bird blocking, according to Erik Wallgren, deputy fire chief for the Renton Fire and Emergency Services  Department.

The condominiums had sprinklers but not the attic, according to Wallgren.

“The fire spread through the complicated roof truss structure, burning the roof off the building,” Wallgren said in a press release.

The planter also contained vermiculite and potting soil.

The building is a total loss, with damage initially estimated at $1 million to the building and $300,000 to contents, according to Wallgren.

All six Renton fire department engines responded to the fire at 2:15 p.m.

When firefighters arrived, less than seven and a half minutes later, there were flames shooting into the sky from the eight-unit, two-story condo building, according to Wallgren. The flames extended on two sides of the building and into the attic.

Wallgren offered a special thank you to the city’s partners across the region who also responded. Auburn, Kent and Bellevue sent ladder trucks. Crews from Maple Valley, Skyway and Tukwila provided aid at the scene.

Other agencies provided personnel to staff Renton’s stations and respond to other calls throughout the city during the four hours it took to extinguish the fire, according to Wallgren.

Renton Police provided security and traffic control in the development.