Early morning fire damages Kennewick home

KENNEWICK, Wash.-- A fire caused significant damage to a home in Kennewick early Sunday morning, displacing four residents.

Battalion Chief Troy Stratford with the Kennewick Fire Department says two people were in the home in the 2600 block of W. 6th Pl. when the fire was reported at about 12:20 a.m. Sunday. Both residents were able to get out safely, along with a dog and a pet turtle.

When firefighters first got onto the scene, they checked to confirm that no one was left inside before they started putting fire on the flames.

Stratford said it appears that the fire may have started in the front of the house, possible from a cigarette left smoldering in some potting soil.

"People will use flower pots as an ash tray, thinking it's dirt, but it's not," Stratford said. "That potting soil actually holds the ember and smolders. Usually it happens in the middle of the night and the soil in the pot will catch on fire and if it's close to anything else combustable, it'll spread. That appears to be what happened at this house."

The fire worked its way up the front of the house and into the attic crawl space, extending about 8 feet.

Stratford said there were also two cats in the home that are unaccounted for, but the damage to the rental home was not extensive, and he believes they probably found a safe place to hide inside.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.