Fire’s cause unclear

No one was injured in the fire that occurred at about 5:30 a.m. yesterday. Rachel Kilroy | Daily Kent Stater

A house fire at 605 Crain Ave. that started around 5:30 a.m. yesterday is under investigation, said Sgt. Sam Todd of the Kent Police Department.

There were no injuries, but the fire displaced a few people living in the house, Todd said. The Red Cross helped the tenants of the single-family home yesterday. No students lived in the home.

“It’s going to be a while before it’s livable,” said Todd, referring to the damage stretching from the back of the house to the front windows and second floor.

Kevin Smith, whose father and sister own the rental property, said he believes about four people lived in the house, including a 4-year-old girl. His family has owned the house for 20 years.

“My next step is to see if the house needs to be totaled,” Smith said. “It looks like it to me.”

Todd said the cause of the fire is unknown. The Kent Fire Department could not provide additional information yesterday afternoon.

As a crew from Taylor Construction & Restoration boarded up the house, Smith said he was anxious to get more details.

“There was a big party,” Smith said. “There was some real questionable issues about how this fire started.”

Contact Daily Kent Stater editor Jackie Valley at [email protected].