One killed in Kelso house fire

A man was killed in a house fire early Friday morning in Kelso, according to Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue.

Firefighters were called to a report of a structure fire shortly before 3 a.m. to the 2400 block of Burcham Street, and arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear of a two-story home, the fire district said.

A woman who lived inside, and three dogs, managed to escape, but she told firefighters there was still someone inside.

Firefighters entered through the back side of the house to find the person and put out the fire. Firefighters found a 45-year-old man dead in his room on the lower floor.

The fire’s cause is being investigated, the fire district said. The home — valued at $162,000 — was destroyed.

The fire district said the woman was awake and waiting for her carpool ride to work when she heard the smoke alarm. She silenced the alarm, went downstairs to the basement to check on her friend and found heavy smoke. She tried to alert the man through the wall, the district said, but had to run due to the growing smoke.

She was taken to a hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation and put in touch with the Red Cross, the district said.