Kirkland firefighters worked for an hour trying to put out an electrical fire at a house in the Bridle Trails neighborhood yesterday evening.
At 4:41 p.m., a resident of the single family home, located at the 6100 block of 128th Ave. NE, called for help when an electrical problem in the attic turned smokey.
One unit responded but more came after the smoke turned into a fire.
It took 30-40 minutes for firefighters to shut the power off before they could continue their work, according to Battalion Chief Larry Peabody with the Kirkland Fire Department.
No house occupants were injured, however, one Kirkland firefighter was transported to EvergreenHealth Medical Center for exhaustion. Peabody said the flu had been going around the fire station and the firefighter taken to the hospital had just overcome it.
The incident couldn’t have been predicted as the house’s main breaker failed in a “pretty unique way,” said Peabody.
Neighbors were also affected by the electrical fire and reported power surges to Puget Sound Energy.
The house sustained $100,000 worth of property damage with $40,000 worth of damages on the occupants’ contents.
Firefighters from Redmond and Bellevue also responded.
Video courtesy of the Kirkland Firefighters Facebook Page.
Kirkland, Bellevue and Redmond firefighters responded to an electrical fire on Jan. 30. COURTESY OF THE KIRKLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT