MI Firefighters Aid Response in Bellevue House Fire

A man was critically burned in a house fire Friday afternoon in southwest Bellevue.

The one-alarm fire in the 6400 block of Lake Washington Boulevard was reported at 1:38 p.m. by the owner of the nearby Shell gas station, who saw smoke and heard a smoke detector, said Bellevue Fire Lt. Troy Donlin.

The man’s 16-year-old daughter, who was in her basement bedroom, got out safely. The man, who had been upstairs burning boxes in a fireplace, got out somehow, and medics found him in his car less than half a block away at the gas station, Donlin said. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with critical injuries.

The girl’s mother, who was at Bellevue Square at the time of the fire, was notified and headed to Harborview.

The family had just moved into the house near Newcastle overlooking Lake Washington three weeks ago, Donlin said.

The cause of the fire isn't known, Donlin said. It's unclear if the burning boxes contributed to the fire.

 Acting Battlion Chief Stephen Mair confirmed additional engines were called to the scene to help fight the blaze.