Woman who died in Federal Way house fire identified

UPDATE: The Federal Way Mirror reports that the woman who died was 73-year-old Marie Elaine Adair. She was known for supporting political candidates by waving signs from her wheelchair in front of WinCo Foods, according to the Mirror.

INITIAL REPORT: A woman died in a house fire Thursday in Federal Way.

Crews responded about 3:15 p.m. to find that flames had spread throughout the two-story home in the 28800 block of 18th Avenue South, South King Fire & Rescue spokesman Jeff Bellinghausen said.

Once firefighters got the fire knocked down and were able to enter the house, they found the woman’s body in one of the rooms, he said.

Bellinghausen guessed the woman was in her 70s. Her name has not yet been released.

The blaze was expected to keep smoldering for hours, Bellinghausen said, as firefighters worked to extinguish a large amount of personal belongings burning in the home.

“There’s just so much stuff in the house that we’re really going to have to go in and literally pull it apart piece by piece,” he said.

In addition to the flames, the many belongings made it difficult for firefighters to get inside, Bellinghausen said.

It’s not yet clear what started the fire.

This is the third fatal blaze in the area this week.

Mary Ann Gough, 82, died when a misplaced cigarette set her University Place duplex on fire Monday. Jean Blassey, 89, died in a Wednesday fire at her Lakewood apartment. The cause of that fire has not yet been released.

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Woman who died in Federal Way house fire identified."