Teen Helps Contain Redmond Apartment Fire, No One Injured

A teenager using a fire extinguisher helped contain a fire in a Redmond apartment complex Wednesday morning, according to Redmond Fire Department officials.

Just before 11 a.m. May 15, a smoke alarm sounded on the second floor of a complex known as the Summerwood Apartments in the 9800 block of Avondale Road NE. Upon arrival, firefighters from Redmond and Woodinville found the apartment filled with smoke down to waist level, according to Capt. Thomas Langton of the Redmond Police Department.

Three people in their late teens were in the apartment when the fire occurred and one of them, a male who had been sleeping at the time, woke up after hearing the alarm and went to the hallway to get a nearby fire extinguisher, Langton said. He then used it to douse the flames coming from a pan of candle wax on the stove.

The fire "was contained by the quick action of the teenage resident," Langton said.

Firefighters confirmed the fire did not extend beyond the pan and assisted the residents with ventilating the smoke from the apartment. There were no injuries to residents or firefighters and damage was limited to the pan. Residents were able to return to the apartment within the hour. Langton said cooking fires are the number one reason for fire calls in Redmond and that people should not leave a pan unattended while they are cooking.