Just before 2:45 p.m. on Sunday afternoon (May 23, 2021), firefighters responded to a residential structure fire in the 27500 bock of 12th Place South in Des Moines (map below).

Crews from South King County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2024, South King Fire & Rescue, Kent Firefighters Local 1747/Puget Sound Fire, King County Paramedics Local 2595, and Zone 3 Fire Cadets responded.

When the first crew arrived on scene, they found heavy smoke and flames showing from the roof of the 2-story home that overlooked the water.

Crews mounted an aggressive offensive attack into the home, but sadly, with the winds coming off the sound and the heavy fire involvment, crews had to withdrawn from the home.

The roof was starting to collapse and the volume of fire was too great, so crews transitioned to a defensive fire attack.

“We spoke to the homeowner who states that him and his wife were the only ones in the home,” officials said. “They have no pets and not sure how the fire started. Homeowner stated that they had a fire in their fireplace that was just down the coals when they noticed something was wrong.”

Neighbors said that the owners of this home – built in 1977 – are “the nicest people and are heartbroken at this tragedy.”

Crews remained on scene throughout the night putting out hotspots, and the cause is now under investigation.