Smoking Damaged Monroe Home

Investigators say careless smoking tobacco is to blame for an early morning house fire Friday that caused extensive damage to a home outside of Monroe. The fire was reported shortly before 2 a.m. in the 18000 block of 117th Street SE, Snohomish. Flames were crawling over the two-story wood home by the time firefighters arrived, Snohomish County Fire District 3 battalion chief Leroy Schwartz said. A father was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but did not need to go to the hospital, said Bruce Pulver, a Snohomish County deputy fire marshal. The family was put in contact with the Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross for help. Firefighters from Monroe, Snohomish, Sultan and Fire District 7 in Clearview responded to the fire. Pulver said the fire was accidental and started outside of the home where two people had been smoking. A son, in his 20s, went into the burning home to save his dad from the smoke and flames, Pulver said. The fire caused up to $150,000 damage to the home and its contents.