House fire in Shoreline Friday, December 24

Shoreline Firefighters are now cleaning up after a house fire at 1233 Ballinger Place. A neighbor pounded on the door around 6:30 am Friday morning, alerting them that their home and part of their yard were on fire. The neighbor also called 911 -- and multiple fire crews arrived to discover flames and smoke pouring from several sides of the two story residence.

Two occupants of the home, a man and his elderly father, escaped -- but suffered from burns and possible smoke inhalation. They were treated at the scene and taken to local hospitals. Condition reports will not be available until the hospital releases that information.

Fire crews from Northshore and Snohomish Fire District One assisted in battling the blaze, which appears to have destroyed much of the home. There were reportedly several loud explosions during the incident, which may have been home oxygen tanks used by one of the residents. No fire crews were injured in the blaze, though much of the structure is now unstable and unoccupiable. Investigators say a preliminary cause appears to be that one of the occupants was smoking in bed, while using home oxygen for medical purposes.