Update: Electrical problem blamed for Genesee house fire

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
6:27 PM: Thanks to everybody who sent tips about the fire callout in the Genesee area. It’s a single-family-house fire call in the 4000 block of 52nd SW (map). More shortly.

6:36 PM UPDATE: From the fire scene, Christopher Boffoli reports for WSB: SFD confirms fire tapped. No injuries. House was unoccupied at the time. No word on the cause. Fire investigators coming out. (Christopher says there was lots of smoke when he got to the scene minutes after the initial call, though.)

7:03 PM UPDATE: Investigators are on the scene and suspect the fire started in or near the washer/dryer area.

(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
Most of the remaining units are being dismissed from the scene now, as operations wrap up. It was a full-size callout originally, though, as this photo shared by Gary Mullin shows:

8:28 PM UPDATE: SFD confirms an electrical malfunction in the laundry room is to blame – details here.

Kevin February 18, 2012 (6:49 pm)

These people live down the alley by me I smelt the smoke and heard the fire alarm going off

dominic February 18, 2012 (7:04 pm)

do you know which house it is? house number?

WSB February 18, 2012 (7:29 pm)

Hi. The numbers sometimes change on the 911 log so we don’t put exact numbers in our story – and it’s hard at night to see – but look here: http://www2.cityofseattle.net/fire/realTime911/getRecsForDatePub.asp?action=Today&incDate=&rad1=des
.
and you’ll see whatever they currently are calling it.

Daddy February 20, 2012 (8:47 am)

It would be nice if they specifically stated the cause instead of “Malfunction” many of the homes in the area are built similarly and around the same time period so more specifics would help those to know what to watch out for.

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