Update: North Bend Man Sought After Two Women Killed in 'Suspicious' House Fire

Update:

KOMO News reports this morning that a couch that blocked the door of a North Bend home was normally situated in that location and the residents entered and exited the home through a side door. Firefighters found numerous gas cans with gas still in them as they worked to extinguish the blaze and pull two women from the burning home.

Police are searching for the male resident of that home, 41-year-old Peter A. Keller, as a person of interest in the case. A car normally parked at the home was found hours later elsewhere in North Bend, but Keller had not been located as of this morning.

Original Story:

Two women were killed in a "very suspicious" fire that swept through a home strewn with gas cans Sunday morning, April 22, near the East King County town of North Bend, KOMO News reports.

King County Sheriff's Office spokesman Cindi West told KOMO that firefighters found numerous gas cans positioned inside the house with gasoline still in them as they extinguished the blaze. A couch also had been used to block the door to the home, she said.

"It was clearly and intentionally barricaded," she said.

Crews were dispatched to the fire, in the 47200 block of SE 159th Street, at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday after a neighbor called to report smoke coming from the attic of the home.

Eastside Fire & Rescue crews including Engine 71, 85, 281, 271, Ladder 87, 73, Battalion 71, Medic 3, 14, Aid 75, Tender 85, and 271 responded to the scene. Initial reports were heavy black smoke and the need for forcible entry, the department reported.  

As firefighters arrived at the scene, they beat back the flames then entered the home to fight the blaze from within. To gain access, they had to break down the door that had been blocked by a couch.

As crews worked their way through the house, they found two victims inside, said Chief Lee Soptich of Eastside Fire. One is a woman about 20 years of age, and the other is believed to be about 30.

A couple and their daughter live in the home, but the identities of the victims have not been confirmed, and police have not identified suspects, West said.

To read the full KOMO News report on the blaze and investigation, follow this link.