The house was destroyed in a fire. They didn’t know if an elderly woman was inside

A Federal Way house was destroyed in a fire early Wednesday and officials initially feared an elderly woman who lived there might be inside because neighbors reported she rarely left the home.

But hours later, their worries were alleviated when they discovered the woman was out of town with family.

Firefighters were called about 5 a.m. to the 700 block of Southwest 310th Street and found the single-story home fully engulfed by flames and smoke.

They were able to put out the fire after more than an hour, and continued to dig through the ashes and soak the structure with water until 9 a.m.

Neighbors were worried the woman who lived there didn’t make it out, but believed the woman’s adult son was not home.

“She doesn’t leave,” said a neighbor who asked not to be named. “We’re just hoping that (her son) had her out of the house for some reason.”

A phone number for the woman’s adult son was eventually found, and he told firefighters she was out of town with family, South King Fire Marshall Gordon Goodsell said.

“The house is vacant!” Goodsell announced to reporters at the scene.

It is still unclear where the blaze started.

“Some houses can smolder for hours before they become flaming,” Goodsell said. He added he is unable to speculate when the fire started until its source of ignition is found.

The house is tucked behind dense shrubbery on either side, and it is difficult to see the front of the house from less than 100 feet down the street.

Neighbors directly across the street were the ones to call in the fire and responders arrived within minutes.

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 7:14 AM with the headline "The house was destroyed in a fire. They didn’t know if an elderly woman was inside."