Lakewood Duplex Fire Results in Burn Patient
On Thursday, June 15 at approximately 10:35 p.m., West Pierce Fire & Rescue crews responded to reports of a house fire at the 7600 block of Custer Road SW in Lakewood. Crews arrived to find one side of a duplex fully involved with fire and reports that all occupants were out of the structure. The occupant of the unit involved was treated for burns, then transported in serious, but stable, condition to Harborview. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The quick response by firefighters was able to contain the fire to the unit in which it started. Helmet camera footage from the response can be found here.
Please notice the difference that sleeping with a door closed can make in the event of a fire. While it is unclear whether or not the occupant was in either of these rooms at the time of the fire, investigators were able to show the way the door preserved the bedroom. As you can see below, the other room’s door had been open during the incident. Sleeping with the door closed is the safest way to protect yourself from a fire in the middle of the night and including this is a fire escape plan is essential.
In addition, West Pierce Fire & Rescue would like to reiterate the importance of having working smoke alarms in and outside of each sleeping area in the home. Residents of Lakewood and University Place are encouraged to call WPFR to schedule an appointment to have current alarms assessed, replace those that are more than 10 years old, or install additional alarms as needed. This grant funded program is available to no cost to residents and has been proven to save lives.