Body found in Bellevue condo fire

Bellevue firefighters found a body in a kitchen that caught fire in a Bellevue condominium on Wednesday night.

Just after 7:30 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to the Eastgate complex located in the 3400 block of 161st Court SE. Initial calls to 911 reported a dryer was on fire. Firefighters arrived within five minutes and found smoke coming from multiple exterior dryer vents of the six-unit building.

Fire crews located a fire in the kitchen of a single condominium, where they found the victim’s body. While smoke had spread to adjacent units through the building’s dryer ducts, the fire was contained to that unit.

The Bellevue police and fire departments collaborated on this investigation on-site through the early morning hours of Thursday. The investigation is continuing throughout the day.

The cause of the fire is not suspicious, the city of Bellevue said. Information about the victim has not been released from the King County Medical Examiner’s Office at this time.

The condo complex has a working fire alarm system, which functioned appropriately when smoke got into the common stairwell. At this time, it is unknown if the victim’s unit had working smoke alarms.

The Bellevue Fire Department urges the public to make sure you have working smoke alarms installed in your home. For more information on smoke alarms, visit: http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/files/public-education/resources/safety-tip-sheets/smokealarms.pdf.