An afternoon house fire has charred a home in the 2300 block of East Mercer this afternoon. According to a person who lives in the house, nobody was injured in the blaze. 

23rd Ave is blocked near the scene and north to Aloha. Metro coaches are being allowed to pass through.

The fire was first reported at 12:15 PM.

According to King County property records, the 1918 home belongs to Stranger publisher Tim Keck and his wife Abigail Gross. They purchased the property in 2002 for $465,000.

Seattle Fire Department has confirmed no injuries in the fire and provided us with a brief preliminary report on the situation:

There was heavy smoke and flames coming from the house when firefighters arrived. Nobody was in the house. No injuries. Firefighters made an aggressive attack and had it under control quickly, then spent a significant amount of time putting out hotspots and digging out fire. Fire Investigators are here and will determine a cause and damage estimate. Red Cross assistance was requested for two adults and two children (ages two and four).

UPDATE 2:30 PM: 23rd is now mostly open to traffic with one lane still blocked near the fire scene.

UPDATE 4:05 PM: SFD reports a cause and damage estimate:

Firefighters made an aggressive attack on the fire and were able to bring it under control quickly. They spent a significant amount of time ventilating the smoke, putting out hotspots, and digging out fire from the attic and wall spaces. More than 40 firefighters responded to the fire. Crews were rotated through due to the hot weather.

Fire Investigators determined that this was an accidental electrical fire. Damage was estimated at $500,000.