by David Mendez

One person was killed in a house fire near 205th Street and Meridian Road in Shoreline on Friday morning.

According to the Shoreline Fire Department, the fire was called in at 8:15 a.m. to the 1800 block of North 205th Street. Firefighters were immediately dispatched and arrived about seven minutes later, knocking down the blaze and getting it under control around 8:45 a.m., about 20 minutes after getting to the scene.

Getting into the home was a challenge according to SFD public information officer Michelle Pidduck. The entries and hallways were crowded with the occupant’s belongings, limiting the firefighters’ movement. “It was really limited access; we couldn’t get in through any of the normal doors, and we had to go in through the basement,” Pidduck said.

One person, described as an “older gentleman,” in his late 70s or early 80s, was found dead in the home; it’s so far unclear if he died as a result of the fire. “However, he would have been in the house for those conditions for at least 20 minutes, which is not survivable,” Pidduck said.

No other injuries were reported, and no other people were found in the house by firefighters.

SFD has not yet identified the victim, as investigators seek to identify and contact any next of kin.

One neighbor, Fredrick Hochman, described the man as “nice” and “quiet.” Most of his contact he’d seen came from members of his church visiting the victim, Hochman said. “He kept to his circles,” he added.

Access through Meridian was closed throughout the morning, as firefighters secured the scene. Fire personnel began leaving the scene around 11 a.m., and King County fire investigators and medical examiners began their work at the scene. The fire is believed to have been an accident, per SFD.

A Shoreline Fire Department crew is expected to stay on scene, potentially overnight, to ensure that no hidden hot spots flare up within the building.