A fire early Friday morning in the Totem Lake neighborhood destroyed the back half and attic of a duplex in the 13100 block of 113th Place N.E.

“We think it started in the sun room, that is where we are concentrating,” said Kirkland fire investigator Jim Crowe. “They have a little hot tub and that might be a possibility.”

Neighbors said that the tenant was awakened by the fire alarm and got out. The Kirkland Fire Department received the call just after 6:30 a.m.

“A guy in a red truck driving by called the fire department,” said neighbor Elise Jansen. “The trucks were here in a heartbeat.”

Engines arrived just minutes later as Station 27 is just blocks away. The tenant, Liam Chu, was unavailable for comment.

“There is a lot of interior damage outside and the fire got into the attic,” said Crowe. “There is quite a bit of structural damage but the actual living space is not bad.”

The entire back half of the duplex was destroyed by the fire, along with the roof. All that is left of the sun room is charred studs. The tinted windows of a SUV parked near the back of the house were melted from the heat.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze and make sure it did not spread to the adjacent duplex, which had dogs inside.

“Our guys did a really good job,” said Crowe.

But Crowe said that the fire response was complicated: “Some of the lines were covered. Those things need to be accessible.”

The duplex share a wall and the fact that the fire did not spread to the next unit was something that all were thankful for.

“It makes me feel better as a homeowner that the fire wall held,” said Jansen.