One man is dead after a house fire near Mukilteo Boulevard Monday afternoon.
Michael “Mike” Elke died in a fire at his childhood home the 5000 block of Ocean Avenue in Everett. He was 76.
Around 1:25 p.m., a caller reported that Mike’s house was engulfed in flames, Everett Fire Marshall Rick Robinson said.
As firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, they found Elke, the sole resident, deceased in a back room.
Mike’s brother and sister-in-law – who live across the street – stood watching as firefighters doused the flames. As they watched, they shared some of their fondest memories about Mike.
Steve Elke said he and his brother grew up in that house. Their parents moved in in 1943. When Steve married, he and his wife moved into their grandparents’ home across the street. Mike stayed in their childhood home.
They were both born and raised in Mukilteo and Everett – they attended Rosehill School, Olympic View Junior High and Cascade High School.
“We knew it was coming, but just not this way,” said Ellen Elke, Mike’s sister-in-law, who said Mike suffered numerous strokes and had been diagnosed with dementia. “He wanted to be cremated, but not this. This was horrible.”
Robinson said Monday that investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire.
“Once its safe, then we’ll go inside and try to see where the fire started and what might have caused it,” he said.