The Snoqualmie Fire Department responded to two house fires in Snoqualmie over the past week. One was caused by an improper reroofing project and the other was accidental.

On Aug. 1, a single-family home on Mountain Ave SE in downtown Snoqualmie sustained extensive damage from a fire caused by a roofing project underway.

“It is very unfortunate this fire took place,” John Cooper, City Building Official, said in a press release. “The Building Department strongly encourages homeowners to call us prior to re-roofing so we can be sure your roof will be installed safely and properly per Building Code. This will protect your investment and the life of your loved ones residing there. The Building Department is here to protect the life of the citizens of Snoqualmie.”

“We were fortunate that Volunteer Firefighter/EMT Greg Prothman was at the Snoqualmie Fire Station when this call came in,” Snoqualmie Fire Chief Mark Correira, said in a press release. “By having him there, it created a four-person firefighting crew. This allowed them to immediately assist the occupant out of the building and enter to extinguish the fire. If there had been only three firefighters on duty, the crew would have had to wait for an additional firefighter to arrive according to safety protocol. Additionally, we were very fortunate that no firefighters were injured at this event as it was one of the hottest days of the year.”

The second fire occurred in the early morning of Aug. 4 at a single-family residence on Fairway Pl SE. Firefighters arrived at 4 a.m. to find heavy fire in the main entrance of the house. The King County Sheriff’s Office Fire Investigator determined this was an accidental fire that started on the outside of the house near the front entry.

“Again, we are fortunate to have a strong volunteer firefighter/EMT program,” Fire Chief Correira said in a press release. “Volunteer Firefighter Peter O’Donnell was on duty with the three career firefighters allowing the crew to quickly extinguish the fire and go inside to look for occupants.”

Both residents and their dog were safely evacuated. One firefighter was transported to Swedish Hospital. He was discharged and has returned to work.

In both incidents, the Snoqualmie Fire Department was assisted by King County Fire District 27 from Fall City, Eastside Fire & Rescue, and the Bellevue Fire Department through interlocal agreements.