43-year-old West Seattle man severely burned in apartment fire dies
Published 11:45 am Monday, August 29, 2016
For the Reporter
Quick-thinking neighbors pulled a man from his second-floor apartment when a fire broke out in the Auburn building early Monday morning, the Valley Regional Fire Authority reported.
The rescued man, in his early 40s, was stabilized and transported to Harborview Medical Center by King County Medic One where he later died.
According to the King County Medical Examiner, Emin Kadriji, 43, a resident of West Seattle, died of burns and smoke inhalation.
According to the VRFA, a woman first heard noise coming from a nearby apartment at 508 E. Main St., just before 5 a.m. She and her roommate approached the apartment, heard yelling and smelled smoke. They called 911, kicked the door open, used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames, and with the help of a third neighbor, pulled the man out of the apartment.
Neighbors said they had never met Kadriji but didn’t hesitate to help him.
Auburn Police arrived next and carried the severely injured man down the stairs to VRFA firefighters and King County Medic One paramedics, who transported him to the hospital.
VRFA firefighters searched the approximately 500-square-foot unit and found no fire spread. No other apartment units were damaged.
Fire investigators have determined that the fire was “accidental,” in nature, owing to the “improper use of smoking materials.”
