Fire kills man in Suncrest home

SUNCREST, Wash. — A man died in a fire that Stevens County authorities believe was caused by a propane-fueled space heater.

The identity of the man remained unknown Thursday. The Stevens County coroner will have to check medical records to verify his identity, officials said.

The fire was discovered shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday when neighbors called to report hearing the sound of breaking glass and seeing flames shooting from the living room window of the home in the 10900 block of Sagewood Road, said Stevens County Fire Lt. Russell Armstrong.

Neighbors were unable to get to the home just west of Lakeside High School to see whether anyone was inside because of a fence around the property and two aggressive dogs, Armstrong said.

When firefighters arrived they found the living room fully engulfed with flames. An initial search of the home found no one, but it was difficult to see because of the smoke and large quantities of possessions piled in the room, Armstrong said. “On the second search they found a body in the living room,” he said.

The 22 personnel responding to the fire contained it to the living room.

Only one person lived in the home, Armstrong said, but he could not say for sure whether the victim was the homeowner, a man in his 50s. Firefighters and EMS personnel have responded to the home before to help the man, who has diabetes.

The cause of death is pending a toxicology report but appears to be carbon monoxide poisoning, Armstrong said.