Sheriff's deputies in Burien broke down an apartment door to rescue three young girls during a fire, after their father refused to let them out. The dramatic intervention unfolded as smoke filled the unit and the children were left trapped on a balcony.
Firefighters had responded to the Burien Square Apartments on South 152nd Street on June 23rd. They had seen smoke coming from one of the units, but the people inside refused to open the door for the fire department, leaving crews unable to reach the source of the fire.
King County Sheriff's deputies were asked to assist. They made the decision to breach the door because three young girls were standing on the balcony, telling responders that their father would not let them leave. Deputies said the door had been barricaded from the inside.
Once inside, deputies found the floor at the entrance burned and layers of smoke hanging in the air. They located the girls' father lying on a bed. Deputies then found and rescued the three girls, who were 17, 12 and 4 years old, along with the family dog.
The father, a 45 year old man, was arrested. According to King County District Court records, he was charged with three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of obstruction. Each count carries a maximum penalty of up to 364 days in jail and a 5,000 dollar fine.
Deputies said the living conditions inside the apartment were deplorable, with garbage piled up and the toilets backed up. Investigators could not determine whether the fire had been set intentionally, but they believe it started from a lithium ion battery on an electric scooter that had already been damaged in a previous fire. The girls' mother was not home at the time.