2 young women killed in 'very suspicious' house fire
NORTH BEND, Wash. - Two women were killed in a "very suspicious" fire that swept through a home strewn with gas cans Sunday morning near the East King County town of North Bend, officials said.
King County Sheriff's Office spokesman Cindi West said firefighters found numerous gas cans positioned inside the house with gasoline still in them as they extinguished the blaze. A couch also had been used to block the door to the home, she said.
"It was clearly and intentionally barricaded," she said.
As a result of all the cumulative evidence found so far, the home is now being treated as a double homicide scene, West said.
West said a car also was discovered to be missing from the home. The 2003 blue-gray Toyota Corolla was later found unoccupied at another location in North Bend.
Crews were dispatched to the fire, in the 47200 block of SE 159th Street, at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday after a neighbor called to report smoke coming from the attic of the home.
As firefighters arrived at the scene, they beat back the flames then entered the home to fight the blaze from within. To gain access, they had to break down the door that had been blocked by a couch.
As crews worked their way through the house, they found two victims inside, said Chief Lee Soptich of Eastside Fire. One is a woman about 20 years of age, and the other is believed to be about 30.
The victims were brought outside as medics attempted CPR and other life-saving measures, but those efforts were unsuccessful and they were discontinued.
Firefighters quickly exited the home after spotting the gas cans and other signs that the structure was unsafe. Crews continued fighting the blaze from outside, and extinguished the flames by about 9:45 a.m.
Now officials must try to solve the mystery of what happened here on a beautiful Sunday morning that ended in tragedy.
A couple and their daughter live in the home, but the identities of the victims have not been confirmed, and police have not identified suspects, West said.
"We're not calling anybody a suspect because we don't know what we have," she added.
Beau Shain, who lives nearby, said his neighbors were nice people.
"It's just really tragic to see them. I see them like once a week or twice a week walking their dog or whatever. It's just sad to see how that'll never happen again," he said.
Another neighbor, Cate Reynolds, says her daughter and daughter's friends were a tight-knit group that recently graduated Mount Si High School.
She said they all had had good times at the house.
"They were just two very beautiful ladies, and we just had a lot of good times together," she said.
The King County bomb disposal unit was brought in to help with the investigation, and a robot was sent in to survey the residence and look for anything suspicious before investigators entered.
During this search, the robot found an unidentified device that was initially thought to be suspicious, but it later turned out to be harmless.
West said it has been determined that there are no other victims inside the home.
King County Sheriff's Office spokesman Cindi West said firefighters found numerous gas cans positioned inside the house with gasoline still in them as they extinguished the blaze. A couch also had been used to block the door to the home, she said.
"It was clearly and intentionally barricaded," she said.
As a result of all the cumulative evidence found so far, the home is now being treated as a double homicide scene, West said.
West said a car also was discovered to be missing from the home. The 2003 blue-gray Toyota Corolla was later found unoccupied at another location in North Bend.
Crews were dispatched to the fire, in the 47200 block of SE 159th Street, at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday after a neighbor called to report smoke coming from the attic of the home.
As firefighters arrived at the scene, they beat back the flames then entered the home to fight the blaze from within. To gain access, they had to break down the door that had been blocked by a couch.
As crews worked their way through the house, they found two victims inside, said Chief Lee Soptich of Eastside Fire. One is a woman about 20 years of age, and the other is believed to be about 30.
The victims were brought outside as medics attempted CPR and other life-saving measures, but those efforts were unsuccessful and they were discontinued.
Firefighters quickly exited the home after spotting the gas cans and other signs that the structure was unsafe. Crews continued fighting the blaze from outside, and extinguished the flames by about 9:45 a.m.
Now officials must try to solve the mystery of what happened here on a beautiful Sunday morning that ended in tragedy.
A couple and their daughter live in the home, but the identities of the victims have not been confirmed, and police have not identified suspects, West said.
"We're not calling anybody a suspect because we don't know what we have," she added.
Beau Shain, who lives nearby, said his neighbors were nice people.
"It's just really tragic to see them. I see them like once a week or twice a week walking their dog or whatever. It's just sad to see how that'll never happen again," he said.
Another neighbor, Cate Reynolds, says her daughter and daughter's friends were a tight-knit group that recently graduated Mount Si High School.
She said they all had had good times at the house.
"They were just two very beautiful ladies, and we just had a lot of good times together," she said.
The King County bomb disposal unit was brought in to help with the investigation, and a robot was sent in to survey the residence and look for anything suspicious before investigators entered.
During this search, the robot found an unidentified device that was initially thought to be suspicious, but it later turned out to be harmless.
West said it has been determined that there are no other victims inside the home.
