One dead, another in a Seattle burn unit following early morning Chelan home fire

Chelan Fire & Rescue firefighters battle a three-alarm fatal fire at a home at 418 E. Woodin Ave. in Chelan, August 21. Photo courtesy: Linda Cannon, The Chelan Valley Bulletin.

A house fire that erupted at dawn Thursday has claimed a life. The fire at a two-story home at 418 East Woodin Ave in Chelan.

"As soon as I arrived and heard of the amount of potential people that may be involved with this and the building next door, I quickly struck a second alarm, and right after that a third alarm, to get help coming in from all over," said Chelan Fire Chief Brandon Asher "We've got a lot of collapsed floors and some unsafe areas that we don't want to touch until we have more people here to process it. It is a crime scene until proven different just because of that fact that there is a fatality."

Once the fire was extinguished, Chelan firefighters quickly turned investigation of the fire over to Chelan County Sheriff's detectives specializing in fire investigation, plus Washington State Patrol troopers who are experts in crime scene evidence collection and analysis.

Chelan County Fire Marshal Chris Pederson has indicated she plans to call in the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.

Chelan County Sheriff's Chief Ryan Moody confirmed one person reportedly in the home at the time of the fire has been airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of injuries.

Only after assuring the burned structure is safe to enter will the search for a cause begin.