Woman Dies in Christmas Morning Fire at Anacortes Hotel

Anacortes, WA – Firefighters from several local fire districts responded to a commercial structure fire in Anacortes this morning.

According to a press release from the Anacortes Fire Department, Firefighters from the Anacortes Fire Department, Skagit County Fire District 13 and Skagit County Fire District 11 responded to a fire at the Sunrise Inn Villas and Suites located at 905 20th Street in Anacortes.

Arriving fire units found a fire burning in  one unit and forced their way into the room.  Once inside rescuers found an unresponsive female victim  who they pulled from the burning room.

Firefighters and medics initiated CPR on the victim and  she was transported priority by an Anacortes Fire Department Paramedic Unit  to Island Hospital. The woman  was pronounced dead at Island Hospital after resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, which was contained to one room within the twenty-six room hotel.

The cause of the fire was determined to be  “combustibles placed too close to a natural gas fireplace.”   Investigators estimate damage to be around $50,000 to the building and contents, not including loss of future rental revenue.

The woman who died  has not been officially identified pending notification of next of kin.