Search underway for missing pickup truck after house fire kills three in rural Washington
Home belonged to local government employee
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Three people are dead and investigators are looking for a pickup truck that went missing from the scene of a deadly fire that ripped through a home in a rural area of Washington state.
Authorities are still trying to figure out what led to the fire in Skagit County on Friday and hope that by locating the missing blue 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck, they will learn new details, though they did not elaborate what the connection might be.
Police responded to the scene of the fire at the home on Highway 530 in the small town of Concrete, around 10:24 am on Friday.
Three victims were pulled from the two-story home, but recovery efforts took days because the structure had completely collapsed, according to Mount Vernon Police Department.
Investigators with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Department, whose deputies first responded to the scene, learned that the home belonged to an employee of Skagit County, who was non-law enforcement.
Identities of the other victims have not yet been released.
The scene of the fire is still being processed by multiple agencies, including the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, police said. The cause of the fire wasn’t yet clear.
A spokesperson for the Mount Vernon police department said it would not be releasing any new information until the excavation work is complete.
Several neighbors recalled to KOMO News about seeing the smoke climb so high, it topped the trees.
Aaron Vogel said when he saw the black smoke, he knew something was wrong.
“I looked up about four houses down. I could just see black smoke, so I knew it was someone’s house,” Vogel told KOMO. “My neighbor called me and told me what was going on, and I was in shock because I knew something was going on because in my yard there was debris coming from the house, so I knew something was up.”
“I didn’t know if I had to evacuate or if they were going to start coming around and telling us to leave because I knew it was a fire, and I knew it was close," Vogel added.
Investigators are asking witnesses or anyone with relevant information about the fire or the missing truck with the license plate C67636L to call Mount Vernon police.