Seattle Police are investigating after a man and a woman were found deceased in a burning Montlake home Wednesday morning.
Around 8:30 a.m., the Seattle Community Safety and Communications Center received a 911 call from a home in the 2200 block of 25th Avenue East. On the call, operators heard a man yelling, and a woman apparently in distress.
When officers knocked on the door of the home, the man inside informed police he was armed and refused to come out. The suspect then told police the woman in the house was injured, and officers made entry into the home.
The man barricaded himself inside a room and showed police he was armed with a knife. Officers then discovered the residence was on fire.
Because of the risks posed by an armed suspect in a burning home — and reports of a possible gunshot at the scene — SPD SWAT, equipped with oxygen compressed air tanks, entered the home to search for the suspect and any possible victims. However, due to the amount of fire and smoke, SWAT could not enter very far into the building.
Based on the extent of time that had passed and amount of smoke and fire inside the home, it was determined that there were no survivable spaces inside the residence. The scene was deemed secure which allowed firefighters to make entry to work to get the fire under control.
Police Firefighters initially found one person, believed to be the suspect in the incident, deceased inside the residence. Later, firefighters found a deceased woman inside the home.
Four officers were taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment for smoke exposure.
Homicide Detectives responded to the scene and will investigate.
This remains an active and ongoing case and this post will be updated as new information becomes available.
Edits have been made and additional information has been added to the original version of this post for clarity/accuracy.
