Snohomish County Fire District 1

A fire that caused more than $110,000 damage to a vacant house east of Everett just after midnight on June 25 is being investigated as arson.

Neighbors reported the fire at 12:08 a.m. in a split-level house in the 11000 block of 34th Dr. SE. Flames were coming from the back of the house and were already through the roof when firefighters from Snohomish County Fire Districts 1 and 7 arrived at the scene. No one was inside the house and there were no injuries.

“The house was vacated after the former owner passed away earlier this year. Some furniture and other possessions were inside the house.  A family member had been staying their off and on. Firefighters rescued one cat and another escaped on its own,” said Leslie Hynes, public information officer for Snohomish County Fire District 1.

Half the roof collapsed early on in the fire, forcing firefighters to attack the flames from outside the house. It took firefighters about 40 minutes to get the fire under control.

An investigator from the Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s office worked at the fire scene throughout the early morning hours and determined the fire was set. A $10,000 reward has been offered for anyone providing information leading to the arrest and criminal conviction of the person responsible for setting the fire. Anyone with information can contact investigators at the Fire Marshal’s office at (425) 388-3557.

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Edi Zecevic, a senior at Edmonds Woodway High School, received a $500 scholarship from the Fire 1 Foundation, as the top student in the Edmonds School District’s fire service technology program.

Zecevic was chosen as Student of the Year based on an oral board and his year-long achievement in the class that meets at Snohomish County Fire District 1’s Training Center.

The hands-on class allows students to explore careers in the fire service and follows the model of a recruit academy with students learning the basics of firefighting. The year culminates with a day of live-fire training at the Washington State Fire Academy in North Bend.

The class is led by Jim McGaughey, a retired Fire District 1 deputy chief of training and vice president of the Fire 1 Foundation, a nonprofit community service organization founded and supported by the employees of Fire District 1.

Zecevic was also the recipient of the Bill Campbell Memorial Firefighting Student of the Year Award. Campbell was a firefighter, chief, Explorer Scout leader and a long-time fire commissioner.

Zecevic plans to continue his fire service education at a community college so he can pursue a career in the fire service.

“We’re pleased to be able to assist Edi as he furthers his education toward the goal of becoming a firefighter,” said Capt. Jim Grieco, president of the Fire 1 Foundation.

The Fire 1 Foundation also supports other community service programs including:
 

• The Fire District 1 Good Neighbor Fund –The Good Neighbor Fund provides funding for firefighters to provide assistance to people in need they encounter in the course of responding to calls.
• Taxi voucher program – Firefighters can distribute vouchers for a free taxi ride for patients transported to the hospital who don’t have any other way to get home.
• Volunteers of America food bank programs – Contributions have totaled more than $50,000 over the past 10 years.
• Support for programs that aid fire victims including Support 7 and the Snohomish County Chapter of the Red Cross.

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