Originally published Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Kent apartment fire displaces 4 families

Two apartment units were destroyed and two others were damaged by a fire that swept through a Kent housing complex owned by the King County...

By Karen Johnson

Seattle Times staff reporter

Two apartment units were destroyed and two others were damaged by a fire that swept through a Kent housing complex owned by the King County Housing Authority late Saturday morning.

No one was injured, but four families — a total of 19 people — were displaced by the blaze, officials said.

Charity groups were working to provide temporary housing and assistance for the families, most of whom are immigrants new to the area.

"The fire just gutted the apartments," said Capt. Kyle Ohashi, spokesman for the Kent Fire Department. "Two had all of their contents and the units themselves destroyed."

Firefighters responded at about 10 a.m. to the two-alarm blaze at the Valli Kee Apartments in the 23400 block of 104th Avenue Southeast in the East Hill neighborhood.

Firefighters found two units full of smoke and flames, and had to call for backup. The fire was extinguished within 45 minutes, Ohashi said.

The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined, and a damage estimate was not available.

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