* This is an updated version of a previously posted story that contained errors and and a photo that incorrectly identified the home that burned Sept. 17.

By ANNELI FOGT

Editor

The cause of a blaze that left a home near the intersection of 97th Avenue SW and SW 270th Street nearly a total loss has been ruled accidental, and was likely an electrical issue, King County Sheriff fire investigator Tom Devine said Friday.

The fire tore through the home on the night of Thursday, Sept. 17, while the homeowner was apparently in Vashon town. Vashon Fire & Rescue Volunteer Assistant Chief Brett Kranjcevich said that he had heard the owner came home from dinner to find the fire. The department received reports  of the blaze around 9:33 p.m. on Sept. 17, and eight minutes later, the first fire engine arrived to find the home fully engulfed in flames.

“Coming up the street, I could see it,” Kranjcevich said. “Because of the heat, the closest we could get the truck was 450 feet away.”

A total of 20 personnel arrived to battle the flames and stayed at the scene until just before 2 a.m. Friday.

No injuries were reported, but five cats were reported missing from the home  after the blaze, according to Devine. He said it is not known whether the cats escaped or perished.

The fire was the second large house fire of the month. On Saturday, Sept. 5, an island home on SW 240th Street burned, VIFR reports show that firefighters received reports of a fire at the home around 9:30 p.m. and 16 firefighters arrived 11 minutes later to find that the home’s roof had caught fire and the flames had spread.

It took hours for the fire to be fully extinguished, and the last personnel did not leave the scene until around 6:10 a.m. the next morning. Authorities said the roof and insulation kept smoldering and the roof had to be dismantled in pieces.

The cause of that fire was determined to be a faulty chimney pipe. No injuries were reported.