Updated with information from Fire District 1

Two men safely escaped as flames engulfed their rental home in Mountlake Terrace early Friday morning.

Neighbors saw flames and called 9-1-1 at 3:05 a.m. to report the fire in a single-story house in the 23800 block of 55th Avenue West. “Four men rent the house. Two were home at the time of the fire and safely escaped,” said Leslie Hynes, public information officer for Snohomish County Fire District 1, which provides fire and emergency medical service in Mountlake Terrace.

The back half of the house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. As firefighters started to fight the fire, a bystander suffered a medical emergency unrelated to the fire. A medic unit arriving at the fire call was assigned to treat the bystander. Firefighters transported the patient to Swedish/Edmonds Hospital, where he was treated and released a few hours later.

More than 24 firefighters from Fire District 1, Lynnwood and Shoreline responded to the fire. No one was injured.

“This was a stubborn fire in a portion of the house that had been built as an addition to the original structure. Even though firefighters had the fire under control within about 40 minutes, crews spent most of the morning battling hot spots that continued to flare up in hidden spaces within the remodeled section of the house,” Hynes said.

The fire caused more than $125,000 damage and left the house uninhabitable. The renters did not have insurance. They are receiving assistance from the Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Investigators believe the accidental fire was most likely started by either a candle or a cigarette in a bedroom near the rear of the house.