CONCRETE, Wash. — Three people are dead after a house fire in a rural area northeast of Seattle and authorities are searching for a pickup truck that remained missing after the blaze, police said.
The Mount Vernon Police Department said in a statement that a two-story home was destroyed in a fire that broke out Friday morning in the small town of Concrete.
Police said Monday that the three victims had been rescued, but the extensive damage at the scene was making it difficult to extract more victims.
The Skagit County coroner plans to release the names of the victims once they are identified. Police said one of the victims was a Skagit County employee. They did not provide further details but did confirm that the individual was not an employee of the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.
Police said the fire is under investigation by multiple agencies, including the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, but the cause has not yet been determined.
Authorities were called to the scene of the fire at about 10:25 a.m. Friday. Police said several victims were found but that rescue efforts could take days because the building had collapsed.
Investigators are asking for the public’s help in locating a blue 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck that is missing from the scene of the fire and are asking witnesses or anyone with relevant information to call Mount Vernon Police. It is not clear whether the truck is related to the fire.
The city of Concrete is located about 96 miles (154 km) northeast of Seattle.
