One man was injured in a fire that caused more than $400,000 damage at an apartment complex north of Lynnwood on Thursday, May 2.

Dispatchers received multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting flames coming from a first-floor apartment at The Seasons Apartment Homes in the 3700 block of 164th St. SW. just after 9:30 a.m. Firefighters responding to the call could see a large column of black smoke as they approached the fire. Two apartments in a two-story, eight-unit building were engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, according to Leslie Hynes, public information officer for Snohomish County Fire District 1.

A man exposed to smoke was transported by medics to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. His condition and injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, Hynes said.

Firefighters evaluated two other residents at the scene for smoke exposure.

Tony Vierra, apartment maintenance employee, helped rescue residents from the burning building. “He used one of his ladders to rescue a man from a second-floor balcony and assisted another woman down the stairs through thick smoke,” Hynes said. “He pounded on doors to alert other residents. He really did a great job.”

About 40 firefighters from Fire District 1, Lynnwood and Mukilteo responded to the two-alarm fire. “They had the bulk of the fire knocked down within 15 minutes, but continued to deal with hot spots and flare-ups for at least another hour,” Hynes said.

Two apartments were heavily damaged by the fire and a third unit had smoke damage. About a dozen residents will be unable to return to their apartments. Support 7 and the Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross is providing assistance to the displaced residents. The apartment managers were also assisting with relocating residents to other units in the complex.

The Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office is continuing to investigate how the fire started, but the cause appeared to be accidental.