West Seattle, Washington
20 Tuesday
5:47 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a “full response” to a possible house fire in North Admiral, 1600 block of Palm SW [map]. Initial report: Smoke in a closet. Updates to come.
5:54 PM: Turns out to have been a false alarm; per radio exchange, the smoke is from something “next door” and not a problem.
8:18 PM: Big SFD response was headed for 4500 block 42nd SW but it’s just been downsized.
8:21 PM: SFD says it was a kitchen fire and it’s already out.
4:51 PM: An SFD full response is just arriving in the 6500 block of Delridge. Avoid the area – road’s mostly blocked. Initial report was “smoke from the basement.” More…
5 PM: We were nearby and have just gotten an update at the scene: Dryer fire. Damage limited to dryer. Most units should be leaving soon; SPD is directing traffic in the meantime.
4:16 AM: Seattle Fire is at a commercial building in the 4000 block of SW Alaska.
(Photo by Seth Gray)
4:19 AM: SFD says it’s a small attic fire at the Jiffy Lube. Radio traffic indicates it’s under control.
(WSB photo)
4:29 AM: Our crew has just arrived. Meantime, via radio. firefighters are saying “a lot of smoke and a little fire” remains.
4:34 AM: Firefighters tell us at the scene that no one was in the building when this started and no one’s been hurt. The cause is under investigation.
4:45 AM: SFD is now starting to dismiss some of the units. We’ll be checking on the business’s status later in the morning.
11:12 AM: We checked with SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley about the cause. Her reply: “The fire at the Jiffy Lube automotive oil change store was ruled undetermined; estimated loss is $125,000. The store was unoccupied at the time of the incident. The fire originated in the mezzanine storage room above the business office.”
(Reader photo)
6:03 AM: SFD has just arrived at an apartment building in the 3100 block of SW Avalon Way [map] on a “full response” dispatch.
6:06 AM: The fire is on the building’s first floor. So far they’re saying it does not appear to have spread. The big response, however, is further complicating Avalon/Genesee traffic, so you’ll want to entirely avoid the area.
6:13 AM: The fire is reported to be under control. No report of any injuries.
6:17 AM: The fire has just been declared “tapped,” which means (mostly) out. But SFD’s likely to have crews on scene quite a while, so expect bus/traffic impacts TFN.
(Reader photo)
6:22 AM: Metro has messaged, ” Routes 21, 50, 55, DART 773 & the RapidRide C Line are currently rerouted … Use stops on 35th Av SW south of SW Avalon Way.” Meantime, per radio communication, SFD is evaluating one person for a “possible respiratory” problem.
(Photo tweeted by Regan)
6:35 AM: The Red Cross is being summoned to help two people.
6:58 AM: Per scanner, police are reopening Avalon/Genesee traffic “all ways.”
7:07 AM: Bus riders are reporting that bus service has resumed too. The incident log shows the response is down to three units including a supervisor.
7:13 AM: Firsthand report by nearby resident Tomasz Biernacki, with his video, starting even before firefighters arrived, as someone shouted FIRE! FIRE! to wake people up:
I got up to make coffee and saw white smoke across the street from our condo. 30 seconds later the fire alarm goes off and people are running out of their apartments. A woman was carried because of disabilities. One gentleman was heroically trying to use a fire extinguisher but it was too late for that. Everyone worked together to get folks out. For sure there are some folks homeless today because of this. Last I looked they were letting people back into their apartments as they clean up.
We’ll be following up with SFD regarding how it started.
ADDED TUESDAY: The fire was ruled accidental, sparked by a cigarette.
Just in case you wondered:A Seattle Fire “full response” was briefly dispatched for a call in the 6000 block of 30th SW. All units but one were canceled before they even arrived. That last one remains on scene.
(WSB photo)
6:18 AM: Thanks for the texts. Seattle Fire is at a house in the 3900 block of SW Hinds.
6:23 AM: The fire is reported to be under control. No word of injuries so far.
6:35 AM: Our crew just arrived. Firefighters tell us everybody got out OK. The damage is apparently mostly on the back side of the house.
(Photo tweeted by SFD)
6:47 AM: SFD has declared the fire “tapped,” which means mostly out. The cause is under investigation.
7:10 AM: The incident log shows about half the originally dispatched units have been dismissed, but a sizable presence remains at the scene.
ADDED 2:11 PM: SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley tells WSB, “Fire investigators ruled this fire as accidental, and determined it was caused by hot coals from an active cooking smoker. This ignited the exterior on the back side of the home and spread to the interior. Total estimated loss is $225,000.”
1:47 PM: SFD has a full response going to a possible house fire in the 5200 block of 46th SW. More to come.
1:50 PM: SFD is arriving and reports flames are showing. Avoid the area – it’s a huge response.
1:55 PM: That’s a TV helicopter, in case you’re wondering. Our crew has arrived – we’ll be adding photos.
2:08 PM: The photo above is from SFD, which reports the fire is under control. Here’s our newest photo:
No word yet of injuries but we’re told a kitten was rescued. (Photo added)
2:19 PM: We’ve talked again with SFD. 4 people were home when the fire started. One has been taken to the hospital for evaluation. There’s some damage to a house next door.
2:37 PM: Some of the SFD units have been dismissed.
(WSB photo)
If you drove by American Legion Post 160 in The Triangle this evening and noticed SPD and yellow tape – here’s what brought them there: A case of flag-burning. We found out from a texted tip (thank you); the tipster said the Ladder 11 crew from Station 32 across the street had not only extinguished the fire, they had quickly donated a flag to replace the one that had been burned, and sent this photo:
When we arrived, police were getting ready to leave; we talked to the Station 32 crew, and to Post 160 commander Keith Hughes. He told us the flag was ignited by a man who’s been helping out around the Post for a while in exchange for permission to sleep on the porch. He does a variety of odd jobs and has been very helpful, Hughes said. But today, he took down the flag that flies outside Post 160 – then put it up again, brought it down again, and then for unknown reasons, set it on fire. That brought SFD – you’ll see the “illegal burn” call on the Real-Time 911 log – and police. The suspect, meantime, took off and had not been found when we talked with officers at the scene. What remains of the burned flag is in this bag:
Hughes tells us they’ll keep it until their next scheduled flag-disposal ceremony.
8:16 PM: What was briefly a “full response” by Seattle Fire has been downgraded. The fire in the 5200 block of Fauntleroy Way is described by SFD as “a small fire inside a dryer.”
8:59 PM: At the scene, firefighters confirmed that it was out quickly and no one was hurt.
House-to-be-replaced-with-house demolitions aren’t always noteworthy, but several people messaged us about this one. This is happening at 5603 42nd SW, where what started as an eviction attempt one year ago ended with a standoff and a fire set by the resident, 51-year-old David M. Severtson, who then died by suicide. City and county online records show the house was sold in December by the estate of Mr. Severtson’s mother and that it will be replaced by another single-family house.
Another incident that started as a big response but was very quickly downsized – a Seattle Fire callout in the 9200 block of 17th SW. It’s now described in radio communication as a “porta-potty fire” and SFD’s investigator is being sent to the scene.
1:01 AM: A Seattle Fire “full response” is headed to a Delridge residential building just south of Thistle. First units on scene report “light smoke.” Updates to come.
1:05 AM: This is happening at a two-story apartment building. SFD reports “water on the fire.”
1:15 AM: Not a major fire; it’s under control, and so far no report of injuries. Firefighters are evaluating the building to make sure the fire didn’t spread into the building’s attic.
1:19 AM: And the fire is pronounced “tapped” (out).
1:39 PM: SFD confirms no injuries. They’re calling the Red Cross to help four people displaced by the fire, including two children. The fire’s cause is under investigation.
(Added: Photo courtesy nearby resident Brooks)
6:49 PM: A Seattle Fire “full response” is at a house in the 5400 block of 44th SW. SFD says it’s a “mainly exterior” fire. We’ll be there shortly.
(WSB photo)
7:02 PM: The house is at 44th/Brandon. Still some small flames visible on its exterior.
7:17 PM: SFD is investigating how the fire started. No one was inside at the time but one of the residents was reported to have been at a neighbor’s house. Pets that were in the home were all brought out safely.
10:33 PM: No word yet on the cause – we’re likely to get that info tomorrow.
ADDED 10 AM THURSDAY: SFD’s Kristin Tinsley says, “Fire investigators ruled the fire as accidental and determined the estimated loss is $250,000. The fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in the house wiring at the location of a soffit-mounted light above the back door of the residence.”
(Added: Video of tree/wire fire, from Betsy)
5:25 PM: We’ve received widespread reports of brief power flickers, and some heard two “booms.” Now there’s a report of a power line down at 26th/Juneau, with what firefighters arriving in the area describe as a “small brush fire” – they’re awaiting City Light.
5:55 PM: Just went by the scene. City Light is there. The downed wire has ceased “arc-ing and spark-ing.” The site is just east of the Delridge Substation.
5:57 PM: And now, a 6,200+-customer outage, mostly south of that site. Related? We don’t know. But some traffic signals are affected – on Barton at Westwood Village, for example, and Delridge/Holden.
6:07 PM: We are at WWV. Some stores are out but some (notably, east-facing) are not.
6:23 PM: A variety of areas are affected, including parts of Fauntleroy, where the culvert-info open house is on thanks to light from big windows. Above, another signal that’s out – 35th/Barton. Remember it’s a 4-way stop if it’s not working.
7:05 PM: Some areas got power back, according to texts and comments. The SCL map isn’t reflecting that yet.
7:15 PM: Now the map shows all but a few should have power back. If you don’t – please call SCL to be sure they know – 206-684-3000.
7:43 PM: SCL tweeted that a tree is to blame for the outage. Meantime, we’ve added nearby resident Betsy‘s video of the 26th/Juneau tree fire atop this story.
9:15 PM: 400+ customers are still out, per the outage map.
12:53 AM: Those 407 customers are still out. If you’re among them, please let us know when your power is restore – there’s no online record otherwise; the outage just vanishes from the SCL map (which we’ve just screengrabbed).
(Added: WSB photo)
3:35 PM: A big Seattle Fire response is headed to a possible house fire in the 9000 block of 17th SW. Updates to come.
3:41 PM: SFD says the response is being downsized as firefighters investigate “light smoke coming from occupant’s fireplace.”
3:48 PM: Now they’re sending Ladder 11 back to check out “possible extension” of the problem. Our crew at the scene, meantime, has been told it was a chimney fire.
3:59 PM: Engine 11 and Ladder 11 firefighters are still investigating to be sure the fire didn’t spread beyond the chimney.
(Added: WSB photo)
6:38 PM: Seattle Fire has a “full response” on the way to 4611 35th SW, which is Brookdale West Seattle. The first units on scene haven’t found anything yet but have “occupants evacuating” as a precaution, per radio communication. More to come.
6:45 PM: SFD says this turned out to be paper towels that caught fire in a microwave at the senior-living building. They’re downsizing the response.
7 PM: Our crew at the scene has confirmed that the fire is out, no injuries were reported and everyone is back in the building.
What started as a Seattle Fire “full response” for a possible house fire in the 3000 block of SW Avalon Way was quickly downsized. Turned out to be a chimney fire, per radio communication, and most units have been dismissed.
(Added: WSB photo)
3:25 PM: Seattle Fire has a “full response” on the way to a house in the 3700 block of SW Webster [map]. Updates to come.
3:28 PM: The call was quickly downsized – described as a small fire blamed on an electrical problem, and it’s out.
(Added: Texted photo – thank you!)
4:13 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a “full response” to a possible house fire in the 8400 block of 42nd SW (map). Updates to come.
4:19 PM: Crews on scene report it appears to be just a dryer fire, “confined to the laundry room.” Biggest task ahead – ventilation.
4:23 PM: Fire’s out.
4:40 PM: No injuries reported. Most originally responding units have been dismissed.
11:16 AM: Seattle Fire has sent a “full response” to 34th/Thistle. The call is described as “smoke showing from a detached garage.” More shortly.
11:29 AM: Just arrived in the area. Some of the units are being dismissed. SW Thistle is blocked at 32nd.
11:34 AM: The fire has been declared “tapped.” We have added a photo above. No injuries reported. Damage was kept to the garage interior; investigators will be sent to figure out what started it.
12:30 PM: The “full response” initially dispatchd to an apartment building in the 4700 block of 40th SW is because of what SFD says so far is a “light odor of smoke” on the 3rd floor. The log shows (updated) seven units on scene checking it out.
12:40 PM: The incident log shows most of the units have been dismissed.
5:56 PM: What started as a mid-size SFD call has just upsized to a “full response” for a house fire in the 4400 block of 46th SW. Radio communication describes the fire as centered in the house’s attic.
6:12 PM: Added a photo from WSB’s Katie Meyer, who reports smoke but no visible flames.
6:15 PM: WSB’s Patrick Sand reports that it was a small attic fire, is out, and firefighters are winding down their operation.
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