On Monday morning, March 17, 2003, at 11:10 a.m., units from the Bellevue Fire Department responded to a reported fire at the Eastside Terrace Apartments located at 603 147th Place NE in Crossroads. A first alarm assignment of two Engine Companies; including one from the Redmond Fire Department, two Truck Companies, an Aid unit, a Medic One unit, a Medical Services Officer, and a Battalion Chief all responded to the incident. A total of 22 firefighters were utilized on scene to bring the fire under control in approximately 7 minutes. No firefighter or civilian injuries were reported.
Arriving on scene in approximately five minutes, Bellevue Light Force 3 found smoke coming from a window next to the front entrance of a one bedroom ground floor apartment. Firefighters gained access to the interior through a rear sliding glass door, and quickly extinguished the flames before they spread beyond the area of the small kitchen. Smoke damage was present throughout the apartment.
The Bellevue Fire Department determined that the fire was accidental in nature. It started when a pan of cooking oil was left unattended on the stove top. A 56 year- old female occupant was not home at the time of the fire, as she had left the apartment approximately 30 to 40 minutes earlier for a doctor
