A roof collapsed on three firefighters from the Northshore Fire district Wednesday afternoon, as they fought a fire at a home in the 13000 block of Holmes Point Drive N.E.

Two of the Firefighters who were knocked down by the falling roof beams were seen at Evergreen Hospital for back pain but were released.

“The call came in at about 1:07 p.m. and the homeowner was in a downstairs office,” said Kirkland Fire Department spokesperson Robin Paster.

The homeowner and an assistant were working in the office that is located below the garage when they heard a “crackling noise.”

The assistant called 911 as the homeowner tried to find a hose despite knowing that the fire had become too big for it to do any good.

The first fire units to respond were from the Northshore Fire Department at 1:18 p.m. All of Kirkland’s fire crews were involved with other calls at the time. In all, 13 units responded, representing Kirkland, Northshore, Woodinville and Bothell Fire Departments.

“When they got there the whole front from floor to ceiling was charred,” said Paster. “The fire was contained to the property.”

The roof collapse on the firefighters took place in an attack area.

“Most of the roof had been charred but some two-by-fours fell on them and knocked them to the ground,” said Paster. “The wood was on fire but none of the them were hurt.”

Paster said that getting out of the attic was a challenge for the firefighters.

“There were still some big chunks burning around them,” said Paster.

Fire investigators are unsure of the cause of the fire that could be seen from across Lake Washington in Shoreline.

“We don’t know the cause and it will probably be some time before we can get in there,” said Paster. “But there is a lot of serious damage. It is definitely inhabitable.”

The homeowner was too distraught to talk to reporters but told investigators that the two-story home had been remodeled within the past year and is around 2,600 square feet.

Half of the house and the roof are burned out. The other half of the house has suffered considerable damage from water and debris. The only portion of the house left fairly intact, is the office, because of its location beneath the garage.

Many of the homes on Holmes Point that sit on the shores of Lake Washington are valued at more than $2 million. Structural loss was estimated at $600,000. The man and his wife are the only two reported residents of the home.

Fires burned in attic areas for several hours, as Firefighters continued to knock vent holes in the roof and pull down ceiling.