3-year-old boy dies in Bellevue duplex fire

A fatal fire in Bellevue early Monday morning took the life of a child.

Flames were shooting out of the front and the back of the home on the end of a cul-de-sac located in the 14100 block of Southeast Eighth Street when firefighters arrived on scene Monday.

Bellevue Fire Lieutenant Richard Burke said the fire appeared to have been burning for a while. “There was a great deal of heat and flame,” he said. “The crews did a wonderful job getting inside. There were pushed-back initially but knocked down the fire on floor one and then went back in up to floor two to make the rescue.”

Lieutenant Eric Keenan said a 23-year-old woman who escaped the fire told the arriving firefighters that her 3-year-old son was still inside.

Keenan said there was no hesitation to go after him. “If we’re told there’s a kid or if we know there’s an occupant, we’re going to do everything in our ability to get there as quick as we can and try to get them out,” he said.

The mother and her 19-year-old female roommate were able to crawl out of a window in the duplex and make it to the roof. A neighbor grabbed a ladder and helped them escape to the ground. Neither woman was hurt in the fire. The child was rushed to Harborview Medical Center after the rescue, but he died at the hospital.

Burke said losing a child after fighting the flames is tough to take. “This is a firefighter’s nightmare,” he said. “To get here a little bit too late. Unfortunately, there was so much heat and smoke that we couldn’t get in here quick enough.”

The cause of the fire has not been determined. Investigators are also looking at whether the duplex had working smoke detectors.