2-alarm fire destroys mansion near Redmond
REDMOND, Wash. -- A fire at an Eastside mansion kept firefighters busy for a few hours Monday night.
The 2-alarm fire broke out in the 13000 block of 167th Ave NE in the English Hill neighborhood near Redmond around 9 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find flames leaping from the roof and called for additional help.
In all, fire crews from five neighboring agencies responded.
Investigators said the homeowner smelled something burning earlier Monday and unplugged the electronics around the house. The homeowner then left to pick up her kids and run some errands.
While she was gone, neighbors saw her home go up in flames.
"It started down below and then moved up into the second story and up into the roof," one neighbor said.
It appears fire has completely gutted the inside of this home from top to bottom. But luckily no one was hurt.
Investigators are still looking into what sparked the blaze.
The 2-alarm fire broke out in the 13000 block of 167th Ave NE in the English Hill neighborhood near Redmond around 9 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find flames leaping from the roof and called for additional help.
In all, fire crews from five neighboring agencies responded.
Investigators said the homeowner smelled something burning earlier Monday and unplugged the electronics around the house. The homeowner then left to pick up her kids and run some errands.
While she was gone, neighbors saw her home go up in flames.
"It started down below and then moved up into the second story and up into the roof," one neighbor said.
It appears fire has completely gutted the inside of this home from top to bottom. But luckily no one was hurt.
Investigators are still looking into what sparked the blaze.
How in the heck is that fraud? Yeah because everyone wants to burn down their own house....come on people think...besides I know this family the guy who lives here goes to my school and I have been to that very house multiple times...they are good people...they have a large house because they work hard and wouldn't do something like that. You guys think you know what you would do in that situation but when you really get faced with it, its not the same. Pray for this good family, its a blessing nobody was hurt.
I smell insurance fraud... some houses in that area have lost over 200k in value; little too fishy the story from this lady....
Mansion? Really?  I don't see it.
 @JCCBlvu You're right. 5210 sq. ft. is a big house, but not a mansion. I think generally a home has to be over 8000 sq. ft. to be considered a true mansion. Either way, I feel sorry for the home owners. It's the sentimental and personal items lost that makes it so sad. Â
Oh wait, it's Joel Moreno reporting. It makes more sense now.  He only knows sensationalism.
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In a case like this, if I could not figure it out in time before I had to leave, I would turn off all the circuit breakers, visit every room, and walk around the outside of the house before leaving so that NOTHING is receiving power while I am gone, and then resume finding the smell when I come back and have more time.
 @JAP506 ...but not if you are wanting to burn your own place down and collect insurance money or... get out from under the mortgage without taking a credit report hit... this new a house having a electrical fire is too darn convenient... I betting this could be a case of fraud!
Ok, this does not add up. Who would unplug their appliances if they smelled something burning, and then leave the house to run errands? I think there is more to this story than what she has told the fire department.
How does KOMO define the word mansion? From the pictures that just looks like a somewhat larger home of average construction.
 @Furd This particular home is 5210 sq. ft. Big home, not a mansion.
 @LunchWithABear Yep, this looks like just a larger home built with relatively inexpensive and common materials. Certainly not a "mansion" in my definition of the word.
 @Furd 8,000 sq.ft. or larger is a typical standard for a mansion.
 @oledawg  @Furd That must be the definition created by Master Builders' Association. I typically think of the homes in Newport, Rhode Island as "mansions."Â
 @MyTacoma  @oledawg  @Furd Actually it's a definition created by real estate agents.
 @Furd These are collection of huge, architecturally odd-looking homes on very large lots. Yeah, they're regular homes built on a bigger scale.
This could've had an entirely different ending had the woman brought the kids back home before the fire started. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
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I too am surprised the owner ignored the smell of something burning. I would've called the fire department.
Something smells fishy here, I don't know anyone who would just leave their house without finding out the source of the smell.Â
Not sure how I would have handled the odor, but think I would have called the fire department rather than just leave. Glad no one was hurt.
No sprinkler system in a huge expensive house? I smell insurance fraud.Â
I'm surprised there wasn't a built in sprinkler system in that house.
So glad no one was hurt.
Or... One could take a little responsibility for one's own destiny and at least spend some time really investigating the origin of the suspicious smell. Then call out for assistance, but I can't even imagine unplugging everything then taking off for a while. Unless I was sitting on a McMansion I overpaid for and now it's worth half that. Something smells.
@HawkEye They deleted my old comment because I used a swear word but they let you allege that these people burned their house down. Fantastic world we live in. Â
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The summary is as follows. If people like Hawkeye did not fertilize the world with comments like this; flowers could not grow from that filth. So thanks for being you. You play your part perfectly.
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Such a shame that people can post hateful context but we refuse, as a society, to receive the message when TV PG words are used to articulate emotion.
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Tis the season.
 @HawkEye typical Seattle buffoon. Seattle still mired in deficits while Redmond and Bellevue prosper...wonder why
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@Zachary Roth AMEN, it takes all kinds and really wish we didn't have so many like HawkEye!
@HawkEye Wow, really?? How about a little sympathy for a family who lost their home? And then you imply that it was on purpose? Yes, I'm sure she meant to burn her family's home down just three weeks before Christmas... (sarcasm)
@HawkEye You sound oth judgmental and jealous. Maybe she called someone for advice? Maybe she found what she thought was burning and unplugged it? Maybe she called an electrician but he couldn't come out until the next day? What would you have done? (let's assume for the moment you are not an electrical/electronics expert....)
That is so sad. :( Horrible to lose everything. Always call for help if you think you smell something burning even if you can't see it/find it.