A man died in a house fire in Kelso on Thursday, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue reported.
Firefighters arrived in the 1000 block of S 6th Avenue in the small Washington town 48 miles from Portland at about 10:45 a.m. to find the house in flames. Neighbors informed the fire crew that a man was trapped in the detached garage.
“The fire conditions inside the garage were ‘fully involved’ and the fire had already flashed over before the first firefighters arrived,” officials said in a statement.
Crews from Longview Fire and Cowlitz Fire District 5 joined Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue in the 2-alarm fire response.
Firefighters doused the fire within about 10 minutes. They searched the garage, where they found the man dead.
Five other residents – three adults and two children – lived at the house and survived, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue said.
Fire officials said they believe the blaze was caused by a portable electric heater and was accidental.
The Kelso Police Department and the Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office is investigating the man’s death, fire officials said.
The victim’s name hasn’t been released.
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