House fire in Shoreline Tuesday night - couple escape with pets

 A Shoreline Firefighter looks over damages to one room of the residence after a potentially deadly house fire. Photo courtesy Shoreline Fire.

A Shoreline couple and their pets are lucky to be alive tonight, after a smoky fire burned through several rooms of their small one-story rental home in the 300 block of NE 152nd St.

They told investigators they awoke to the sound of crackling and a smoky smell, then were nearly overcome by toxic black smoke.  They both escaped through a small bedroom window, taking three dogs, a cat and a pet rat with them.  They called 9-1-1 with a cellphone around 11:00 p.m. 

Both occupants were exposed to deadly smoke as they gathered their pets and forced them out the window.

Shoreline firefighters arrived to find the home fully charged with heavy smoke and flames. They quickly extinguished the fire, believed to have started in a back room.  

The home is a total loss. 

Investigators found smoke alarms, with no batteries in them.  Shoreline Fire would like to remind all residents that smoke alarms must be checked monthly to make sure they are working and batteries changed every six months.  Smoke alarms protect your family when they are most vulnerable -- at night, when everyone is asleep.

"This family was extremely lucky", said Melanie Granfors, Shoreline Fire Public Information specialist.  "They did not know that their smoke alarms were without batteries. And they could have died with a few more minutes of exposure to the smoke that filled their home.

They were able to escape quickly --out the nearest window -- which was on ground level and accessible to them.  That saved them and their pets from tragedy tonight."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.