Firefighters from the Valley Regional Fire Authority fought a fire in a vacant, single-story wood frame house at 1027 12th St. NE in Auburn last Saturday.

A passerby saw heavy smoke coming from the roof of the home and called 911 at 3:32 p.m. When firefighters arrived at 3:36, they found flames shooting out of the first floor and the attic. Firefighters initially entered the home but backed out because of the large amount of burning debris and the instability of the structure.

Crews from five VRFA fire engines and one aid car fought the fire from outside of the home. King County Medic One provided rehabilitation services for firefighters.

Though empty, the house contained a large amount of personal contents.

Damage to the home was extensive, its contents a total loss. A fire investigator from the South King County Investigation Task Force couldn’t enter the structure.

VRFA investigators later determined the cause of a fire to be arson.

Investigators learned that the house had been vacant for some time and that people had been known to enter the structure illegally.

An earlier story that listed the home as the site of a fatal fire 36 years ago was incorrect.