Fire destroys barn in Four Lakes community near Issaquah

Flames destroyed a barn in the Four Lakes community south of Issaquah early Thursday morning, but a pair of chickens roosting inside at the time escaped unharmed.

Firefighters extinguished the flames, although the structure collapsed in the blaze. The incident occurred at about 5:30 a.m. in the 24000 block of Southeast 167th Street.

Neighbors called 911 after seeing flames leaping from the wooden structure just after 5 a.m.

Units from Eastside Fire & Rescue and Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety responded to the fire as news helicopters thudded overhead.

No injuries occurred as a result of the fire. The chickens — a hen and a rooster — escaped from a coop inside the burning structure.

“We opened the door, but they didn’t want to run out,” EFR Capt. Michael Geppert said. “We had to carry one out and shoo the other out while he was squawking at us.”

Investigators later determined a heat lamp in the chicken coop sparked the blaze.

The fire claimed a classic Chevrolet pickup parked inside the barn. The booming sounds neighbors reported hearing amid the blaze probably resulted from the truck’s tires exploding, Geppert said.

“That will make quite a boom when those explode,” he added.