At approximately 4:30 a.m. on Christmas morning, nearly 50 firefighters responded to a fire at the Chateau Ville apartment complex at Factoria’s 12800 block of S.E. 40th Court. Firefighters worked to rescue residents from six units while their escape paths were blocked by the blaze.
According to the Bellevue Fire Department, the fire began outside the building and burned its way inside while also setting ablaze the stairwell which residents could have used to escape.
In response to the location of the fire, firefighters used ground ladders to reach upper levels of the building to rescue residents. Five residents were transported to the hospital with injuries, one of whom was injured after reports from the Bellevue Fire Department detailed them jumping from a second-floor balcony to escape the flames.
Meg Spikes, the woman who jumped from the balcony to escape the fire, recalled her experience, stating, “When my daughter opened the door knob it was already hot but she opened it and it’s already fire on the front so we shut the door.”
Spikes felt that after seeing no other way out that jumping from the balcony was the best decision. She stated that she “appreciates that [she] made it. [She] survived.” However, she suffered a broken back as a result of the fall.
The conditions of the other injured residents have not been disclosed, however the injuries seem to have all been sustained while escaping the building.
One other case which was reported was a husband lowering his wife from their apartment building with bed sheets. However, on the way down the woman fell and was transported to the hospital.
The Bellevue Fire Department concluded their nearly eight-hour investigation into the fire at 4 p.m., determining that the exact cause of the fire was unidentifiable.
According to the findings, the fire began outside the complex near the stairwell and slowly burned its way inside, where it grew out of control.
The Red Cross provided housing and available resources for the residents who were affected by the fire and Tri-Med ambulances provided two units to transport those who needed medical attention to a local hospital.
Units came from as far as Mercer Island to respond to the fire, with two mutual aid units assisting in the effort.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the Spikes family to assist them in their recovery and to help compensate their medical expenses and the loss of their house.