West Seattle, Washington
17 Saturday
9:12 PM: A Seattle Fire “full response” is headed to the 9400 block of 18th SW [map]. More as we get it.
9:15 PM: The first firefighters on scene say it’s a shed fire in a backyard. Avoid 18th/Cambridge, as roads are blocked.
9:22 PM: The response is being downsized, as the fire is apparently confined to the shed, described as 20 x 20. SFD say a downed wire is complicating things, though, so Seattle City Light is responding.
9:32 PM: Shed fire is out, per SFD radio.
3:09 PM: Seattle Fire has a “full response” headed to a building in the 9200 block of 9th SW [map]. Updates to come.
3:11 PM: First units on scene report that the smoke called in by many passers-by is from “a chicken coop on fire” and the response is being downsized. We’re still en route; we’ll check on the chickens.
3:33 PM: Firefighters on scene tell us the chickens are OK. The coop is in a private backyard and the owners weren’t there so we couldn’t see it.
9:11 PM: Thanks to the texter who sent photos from a briefly sizable Seattle Fire response at 58th and Alki. Turns out tonight’s the night of the annual unofficial Christmas tree bonfire:
Though the SFD response was quickly downsized, radio communication indicates the remaining SFD personnel on the scene are now asking for SPD help with “crowd control.”
9:52 PM: The SFD log shows the call now closed. Meantime, David Hutchinson sent this photo:’
That’s the “car fire” call on the SFD log – a Metro bus at 61st/Alki. The photo is from Kersti Muul, who says it’s “smoky” but as you can see in the photo, no sign of flames, and the fire engine is leaving.
(Added: WSB photo)
7:51 PM: Thanks for the texts. What started as a “full response” SFD callout in the 3100 block of SW Avalon Way has been mostly dismissed, but we are headed that way to check on it anyway.
8:10 PM UPDATE: Firefighters tell us this involved some items too close to a heater “smoldering.” No injuries, no major damage.
9:32 PM: In case you wondered about the sirens too: A mid-size Seattle Fire response has arrived in the 2200 block of Sunset Avenue, checking out smoke inside the house. So far, radio exchanges indicate, they’re focusing on a “malfunctioning heater” as the likely source.
9:36 PM: The response is being downsized.
9:54 PM: The last unit has left and the call is closed.
1:06 AM: In case you wondered about the sirens: A Seattle Fire response that started small at Springline (3220 California SW) was briefly upgraded to a “full response,” but moments after the extra units arrived – per the incident log – it was downgraded again and most were dismissed. We’ll follow up later this morning.
9:54 AM: SFD spokesperson Hilton Almond tells WSB it was a kitchen fire, “quickly extinguished.”
(WSB photo)
3:55 PM: Our apologies that we weren’t able to report this here sooner due to site trouble (we did update in realtime on social media) – an attic fire brought a large response to the 8300 block of Fauntleroy Way, across from Lincoln Park, about an hour ago. It was extinguished quickly. No injuries reported.
6:35 PM: SFD says the fire “was ruled accidental with $20,000 damage to structure.”
1:42 PM: Seattle Fire has just upsized a response in the 4100 block of 38th SW. Crews already on scene say it’s a wall fire and everyone is out OK.
2:05 PM: Photo added. Many of the units have been dismissed from the call.
2:10 PM: Our crew reports the fire is out, not much damage – an electrical short is suspected but the SFD investigator has been called in to check and City Light has been summoned too. The three people who were in the house are unhurt.
3:21 PM: SFD has a “full response” on the way to a building in the 1200 block of SW Holden. Updates to come.
3:24 PM: The call has just been downsized. We’re still en route to find out more.
3:36 PM: Firefighters at the scene tell us it was a kitchen fire. Out now, no major damage, no one hurt.
(Added: Photo sent by reader)
1:55 PM: Thanks for the tips. SFD is sending more units to what’s described as a “fire in the woods” south of High Point, in a sloped area west of Home Depot. According to the dispatch, it is believed to have started in an encampment; according to what firefighters on scene are reporting, the fire has burned a structure in that encampment but is under control.
2:07 PM: The fire is reported to be out. SFD revised the address (which is approximate in a situation like this) to the 7100 block of Sylvan Way.
2:21 PM: Avoid Sylvan Way for a while – a nearby resident says traffic is backed up because of the emergency vehicles. She also says she had heard from police that this camp was to be cleared soon. Another nearby resident said it had been repeatedly reported.
Got a couple questions about a fire call at 38th/Barton, with smoke seen coming from Fauntleroy Park. After returning from court downtown, we went that way and caught up with Engine 37 as firefighters were packing up to leave after more than an hour on the call. What burned, they told us, was a tent, deep into the east area of the park (which is why the fire engine was not parked at the public entrance to the park). No other damage and no injuries, they told us.
We checked out a “car fire” call at Delridge/Holden and discovered it was actually that Metro Route 120 bus. Not a major fire – the two dispatched engines that were dismissed from the call fairly quickly – but the riders on board had to transfer to another bus to complete their trip, and the coach is at the roadside awaiting attention.
12:30 AM: A Seattle Fire “full response” is headed to 35th SW and SW 98th, with a report of smoke and flames visible in a yard. But the first unit to arrive isn’t seeing anything. Updates to come.
12:35 AM: Turns out to be a trash-can fire, according to radio communication. Most responding units are being canceled.
11:02 AM: Thanks for the tips. If you’re seeing smoke in southeast West Seattle, it’s what has been dispatched as a “brush fire” call, originally listed as Olson/Myers but changed to SB Highway 509 at Cloverdale as a few more units were added to the call. We’re heading over to check it out.
11:25 AM: Just talked to Engine 26 crew; they were along the east side of Myers Way, while Ladder 11 and Engine 32 were along 509.
They said a 30 x 30 pile of junk was burning, out now, nobody around so no injuries as far as they know.
5:35 PM: Big SFD response at the Arrowhead Gardens senior-apartments complex at 9200 2nd SW. SFD says it’s a fire that was “contained by sprinkler system; one occupant found and safely evacuated.”
5:40 PM: SFD says that occupant is being treated by paramedics.
The family affected by Thursday morning’s house fire in North Delridge included a Pathfinder K-8 student, and Robin sends word today of a community crowdfunding effort for the student and their family. As noted in our coverage, SFD determined the fire was accidental, sparked by a malfunctioning power strip and extension cord. The crowdfunding page is here.
10:46 AM: Thanks for the tip – a vehicle fire is blocking traffic at 41st/Oregon in The Junction, so you’ll want to avoid the area for a while. The fire is described only as an engine fire in a “commercial vehicle”; we are en route to find out more.
11:18 AM: Photo added. No one hurt. This is a commercial tree service’s truck; police say the driver reported the truck suddenly lost power, started rolling backward, with smoke coming from the engine. A tow truck is expected shortly to clear the scene.
(Added: Aerial view, courtesy of Maggie)
(Added: WSB photo)
5:52 AM: Seattle Fire is at a house fire in the 5000 block of 25th SW [vicinity map]. Everyone is reported to be out safely. Updates to come.
5:57 AM: Firefighters are reporting that the fire is under control.
6:12 AM: Our crew at the scene says that while the operation is clearly winding down to some degree, smoke is still visible from the back of the house.
(Added: WSB photo)
6:16 AM: SFD is calling for Red Cross assistance “for eight adults.”
6:32 AM: Firefighters have found a hot spot in the attic. This photo’s just in:
7:06 AM: Our crew at the scene has confirmed no one was hurt. A cat that was missing has been found, too. The fire’s cause is under investigation.
8:26 AM: Wanted to also say thanks to everyone who texted about this shortly after the fire broke out – several also sent photos like this showing that the initial smoke was visible from blocks away:
10:36 AM: Still awaiting word on the cause. Meantime, we asked SFD about something we noticed at the scene – the SFD crews ‘decontaminating’ the firefighters coming out of the house were in hazmat-type suits:
SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley explains, “We are trying to implement a new ‘Decon Policy.’ We’re testing different deployment models and one of them is as you saw today having firefighters in ‘class B’ hazmat suits. They offer tremendous protection for the firefighter that is doing the washing. This is a test and we are working out how this is best going to be implemented.”
8:01 PM: Fire cause determined. From SFD’s Tinsley: “Ruled accidental, estimated loss $250,000. Caused by malfunction of power strip and extension cord located on deck.”
9:55 PM: Seattle Fire has a “full response” headed to the 8800 block of 13th SW.
10:03 PM: The incident log shows all but one unit has been canceled.
9:26 AM: SFD has a big response headed for the 4100 block of SW Othello. More to come.
9:30 AM: Per radio communication, this is an exterior fire and it’s out aside from smoldering. All but a few units are being dismissed.
Seattle Fire says a “full response” dispatch to an apartment building in the 9200 block of 15th SW was for a kitchen fire that’s already out. One person is being evaluated for “exposure to smoke.
Thanks to the reader who texted that photo of a car fire this past hour on the east edge of the Morgan Junction business district. High-visibility spot, so we went down the hill to find out more:
SFD, which has since cleared the scene, told us nobody was hurt. They said the car’s driver thought the fire might have been related to some work recently done on the car.
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