Three houses caught fire early Friday morning in the Tillicum neighborhood in Lakewood, but everyone escaped safely.
Just before 1 a.m., fire crews were called the the 2-alarm blaze in the 14400 block of Union Ave. SW. They arrived to find three homes burning and flames visible even from I-5.
Investigators believe the fire originated in a vacant home in the middle of the three, and the flames then spread to the other homes on either side, fire officials said. The fire's spread was aided by a large amount of debris that had been left outside the vacant home.
Gene Tetteh had spent the last 18 months building his new home next door and had just moved in on May 10. He says he and others who live on this street have been very frustrated with the mess, the homeowner and the renters. He says were evicted a few weeks ago.