Beloved Kirkland resident, former LWSD employee found dead in house fire | UPDATE

Kirkland firefighters discovered a man who died in a house fire, just blocks from Lake Washington High School, early Sunday morning.

By Matt Phelps • November 9, 2015 6:59 pm
Kirkland resident Kenneth Hanson died in a house fire Sunday morning. He worked for the Lake Washington School District for more than three decades and graduated from Lake Washington High School.
Kirkland resident Kenneth Hanson died in a house fire Sunday morning. He worked for the Lake Washington School District for more than three decades and graduated from Lake Washington High School.

Kirkland firefighters discovered a man who died in a house fire, just blocks from Lake Washington High School, early Sunday morning.

Kenneth Hanson, 62, was found in his home, two blocks from the high school where he graduated and then worked, with the Lake Washington School District, for three decades.

“He was very selfless and extremely kind,” said Hanson’s cousin Rachel Shade. “His family and friends meant everything to him. He took joy in the moments and the time he got to spend with family and friends. It’s hard for us but we know that we will see him again.”

A funeral for Hanson will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday at Sunset Hills Memorial Park, located at 1215 145th Place SE in Bellevue.

Lake Washington School District (LWSD) officials confirmed that Hanson worked for the district for 31 years.

“Ken Hanson was a dedicated Lake Washington School District employee for many years,” said LWSD spokesperson Kathryn Reith. “He joined the district in 1980 as a laborer in the district’s maintenance department.  He held that position for four years.  In 1984 he joined the district’s grounds crew where he spent the last 31 years taking great care of our many schools and sites. Ken had recently retired from the district.  We were very saddened to hear of his death.  He was a positive person, who enjoyed and took great pride in his work. Our thoughts go out to Ken’s family and friends.”

The official cause of death, according to the King County Medical Examiner, is “inhalation of toxic products of combustion and thermal burns,” and the examiner has ruled the death an accident.

Emergency dispatch calls reported flames on the front porch, door and roof at the house just blocks from Lake Washington High School. Upon arrival, KFD noted the approximately 1,500 square foot structure was 75 percent involved.

Fire attack was conducted from three directions toward the structure. At the time of arrival, it was not known if the home was occupied and the structure was deemed unsafe to conduct a search. However, from the exterior, fire crews observed a deceased person, Hanson, through the bedroom window.

The cause of the fire is officially under investigation by Kirkland Fire Investigators.

The structure has been deemed a complete loss by fire investigators.

Fire support was provided by the city of Redmond and city of Bellevue Fire Departments.

Reporter TJ Martinell contributed to this report.