West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
2:44 PM: Seattle Fire has several units responding to what was called in as an RV fire on Harbor Avenue, nearest cross-street Harbor Lane. We don’t know which side of the street, but most of the dozen RVs (as of our count Saturday) are on the westbound side.
2:48 PM: Just received that photo from a reader. It’s on the westbound side.
Another texted photo (added above) indicates the smoke was visible from across the bay.
(WSB photo)
3:14 PM: By the time we got there, SFD and SPD had already cleared the scene, so we don’t know if anyone was hurt (we’ll follow up with SFD), but the log indicates no medic/aid units dispatched. … Past RV fires in the area include this one almost exactly a year ago and this one in 2018.
4:50 PM: SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley confirms no one was hurt but does not yet have information on the fire’s cause.
(Added: WSB photo)
3:47 PM: Seattle Fire units are arriving at The Blake Apartments at 5020 California SW for what’s described as a fourth-floor kitchen fire.
3:52 PM: This will tie up traffic for a while because of the big response, so avoid California just south of The Junction for a while. Meantime, firefighters report that the fire is under control thanks to a sprinkler.
(Added: Texted reader photo)
3:56 PM: Fire now reported “tapped” (out).
4:01 PM: No injuries reported, says SFD, which is dismissing some of the responding units.
4:06 PM: Firefighters on scene tell us this was a “room fire” and confirm that the sprinklers got it under control even before they reached it. Traffic on California is currently shut from Edmunds to Brandon. Residents of the building, meantime, aren’t being allowed back in just yet, while firefighters check a few more things to be sure it’s safe.
4:55 PM: Police have told dispatch that traffic is now getting through via the center lane and southbound lane.
Around 2 pm Sunday, we reported on two house fires that both drew big initial responses, about 15 minutes apart. We asked SFD about the cause of both fires; they weren’t able to get us an answer until today. Neither was suspicious, so SFD’s investigator was not sent, says SFD spokespersoon David Cuerpo. The first one, in the 2500 block of Portland Court SW, was “a small exterior fire” extinguished by occupants, no cause determined. The second one, in the 7500 block of Fauntleroy Way SW, was “a deck fire on the rear side of the home (that) partially extended into the rear wall and the eaves of the home,” and was determined to have been started by “improperly discarded smoking materials.”
2:15 AM: Another Seattle Fire “full response” has just been dispatched, this time to the 7500 block of Fauntleroy Way SW [vicinity map]. Updates to come.
2:18 AM: This one is described as a deck fire. Everyone is reported to be safely out.
2:24 AM: The fire is reported to have spread to the house. Fauntleroy is blocked both ways in the area.
2:28 AM: The fire is reported to be under control.
4:21 AM: SFD has now closed this call too.
1:57 AM: Seattle Fire has a “full response” headed to a possible house fire in the 2500 block of SW Portland Court [vicinity map]. Updates to come.
2 AM: One of the first units on scene reports light smoke.
2:04 AM: They’ve assessed it as a “small wall fire.” All five people who were home are reported to be out safely. … The response is being downsized.
3:02 AM: This call is now closed, meaning all SFD units have left the scene.
2:30 PM: Thanks for the tip. Seattle Fire is just arriving at a scene where downed wires have caused a small brush fire along the 7300 block of Dumar Way [map]. We’re told a falling tree branch is to blame. Avoid the area for a while.
2:35 PM: We’ve heard from a few people reporting power outages but there’s nothing on the City Light map yet.
2:48 PM: Now the map has updated to show a 26-customer outage.
Thanks to Emilie for the photo and tip. Firefighters made quick work of a kitchen fire in an apartment over a garage near 47th/Andover about an hour ago. No injuries reported. One side note: Firefighters were delayed a few minutes because the response first was sent to 47th Avenue *South*; the dispatcher said that’s how it was called in. Many of West Seattle’s SW streets have S. mirrors, as close as South Park, as far as the other side of I-5, so when calling something in, be sure to stipulate it’s SW.
10:32 AM: A sizable Seattle Fire response is headed for a house in the 5000 block of 25th SW [vicinity map]. Updates to come.
10:35 AM: This has been quickly downsized – turned out to be a fire in the backyard.
You might have noticed this response on your way to or from the 1st Avenue South Bridge: Seattle Fire was called to the transfer station on South Kenyon for what turned out to be a “smoldering garbage” fire. They put it out quickly, and no one is hurt.
5:34 PM: Big Seattle Fire “vault-fire response” is headed for the 7700 block of Delridge Way SW. Sparks and smoke are reported to be coming from beneath a concrete slab at a “new construction” site. Police are being dispatched to help direct traffic in the area. Updates to come.
5:42 PM: Per dispatch, northbound Delridge traffic will be diverted at SW Kenyon.
5:49 PM: Update from our crew – Delridge is completely blocked from Holden to Kenyon. SFD is still investigating the electrical problem that is causing this. Our crew reports “popping” is audible and there’s a strong unpleasant smell. No report of injuries; nearby residences have been evacuated while they sort this out. … The 120 bus is being rerouted, too.
6:42 PM: Seattle City Light has shut off electricity and is now in charge of investigating the problem. Seattle Fire units have departed.
In the past hour and a half, firefighters have been working to extinguish a fire at a house near 32nd SW and SW Juneau in High Point. SFD says one person was home at the time and got out OK, but one firefighter suffered what are described as “minor injuries.” Some of the initial large response has been dismissed, but the incident log shows 10 units still on scene, including fire investigators working to find out how this started.
2 PM: Seattle Fire is arriving at a house-fire call in the 8800 block of 30th SW. One person is getting medical attention. Updates to come.
2:03 PM: Firefighters report it’s under control and assess it as a “small” fire.
2:14 PM: The fire’s just been declared “tapped” (out) and the response is being downsized. The person who was medically assessed does not need to go to the hospital, we’ve been told at the scene.
ADDED FRIDAY: SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo tells WSB, “Our investigators determined the fire was accidental, and likely caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. The estimated loss was $100,000.”
(WSB photo, Sunday evening)
2:55 PM: When an Arbor Heights house caught fire Sunday evening, neighbors rushed over with fire extinguishers to try to help while firefighters were on the way. Now, neighbors are assisting in another way – they’ve organized crowdfunding for the family coping with the aftermath of what SFD ruled was an accidental fire. The most seriously injured victim is still in the hospital in critical condition with burns, neighbor Steve tells WSB. So neighbors are doing what they can to help, and for all the times readers ask if they can help in the wake of emergencies, they wanted to let you know too. They explain on the crowdfunding page that the victim and his wife “are wonderful neighbors who have lived on our block for many years.”
4 PM: Since we published this, as noted in comments, the crowdfunding page has been updated with the news that the critically injured man, Angelo, has died.
7:13 PM: Seattle Fire crews are just arriving at a house fire in the 9800 block of 45th SW [map] – smoke was visible from miles north.
(Photo sent by Erin, seen from Lincoln Park)
They report it’s a “working fire.” Updates to come.
7:15 PM: At least one person is reported in need of medical treatment.
(Added: WSB photo)
7:20 PM: Firefighters told dispatch the fire is under control. … Other people who were in the house are reported to need medical evaluation.
7:56 PM: Update from SFD – “Firefighters rescued an approximately 74-year-old man from the house fire; he is being transported in critical condition via medics to HMC. 2 other occupants are also being transported via AMR in stable condition.” The fire is out.
(Added: SFD photo)
8:29 PM: Just talked to SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley. She had one detail to add – that neighbors jumped into action with fire extinguishers after seeing smoke and hearing someone yelling for help, but it was too late – the fire “took off.” Of the three people home at the time, the one who was transported in critical condition was in the room where the fire is believed to have started; another man got out OK, and a woman was out in the yard at the time. SFD’s investigator is working to determine the cause.
MONDAY MORNING: SFD says the fire was ruled accidental, blamed on an “overheated electrical power strip.”
1:44 AM: Seattle Fire has sent a “full response” to a possible house fire near 46th and Andover.
(Added: Photo sent by Emilie)
1:47 AM: First crews on scene say it’s a basement fire.
1:56 AM: Firefighters are checking the other floors to be sure it hasn’t spread. So far no word of injuries.
1:58 AM: They’ve now reported some flames in a corner of the roof/attic, while the fire in the basement is described as “under control.”
2:03 AM: And now the attic fire is also declared “under control.”
(Added: Photo posted in comments by Nick)
2:13 AM: They’ve just told dispatch that the fire is “tapped” (out).
2:28 AM: Some of the units are being dismissed. SFD’s investigator will work to figure out how this started; we’ll follow up later this morning.
8:57 AM: SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo tells us the SPD Arson and Bomb Squad is now investigating this fire because it “was ruled as incendiary (intentionally set).” He added, “The estimated loss is $100,000.”
3:50 PM: Big SFD response at Broadstone Sky Apartments, at 40th/Edmunds, but it’s already being downsized. Updates to come.
3:53 PM: SFD says there was a fire in a second-floor unit but the sprinkler system put it out. Firefighters are now checking inside the building, for water damage and carbon-monoxide readings.
4:07 PM: Firefighters confirm to our crew at the scene that no one was hurt and more units should be leaving the scene soon.
6:33 PM: Seattle Fire sent a few units to a report of something burning on the roof of a house in the 3200 block of Walnut SW [vicinity map], and the first crews on scene assessed it as a fire on an upper floor, so they’re upgrading it to a “full response.”
(Added: Photo sent by Christine)
6:38 PM: The firefighters report finding fire in the attic of the 3-story house.
6:46 PM: Firefighters have told dispatch the fire is under control and they’re just looking for hot spots. No injuries reported so far.
(Added: WSB photo)
7:01 PM: They’ve called the fire “tapped” (out). Our crew at the scene confirms everyone got out OK. … SFD’s investigator is there to try to figure out what sparked the fire.
ADDED: We followed up on the fire’s cause. SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo says it “was determined to be accidental. Likely caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. The estimated loss is $70,000.”
Thanks to Nick for that video of a fire that briefly sent smoke and flames high into the sky near 2nd SW and Highland Park SW [map], just southwest of the 1st Avenue South Bridge. It was at first logged as a “rubbish fire” but the first engine on scene saw that it was more than that, including trees, so they sent more units. Firefighters are still on scene and have most recently told dispatch to reclassify it as an “encampment fire.” No one is reported to be hurt.
1:03 AM: Big SFD response to the 7900 block of 14th SW [map]. The fire’s already under control. Updates to come.
1:06 AM: Firefighters have told dispatch the fire appears “confined to the exterior” of the building.
1:12 AM: Crews have declared the fire “tapped” (out). The SFD investigator is being summoned to figure out what sparked it.
6:13 PM: Seattle Fire is arriving at what’s described as a residential fire in the basement of a house in the 9200 block of 25th SW [vicinity map]. Updates to come.
(Added: WSB photo)
6:18 PM: Firefighters are searching the other areas of the building after knocking down the basement fire.
6:20 PM: They’ve now told dispatch the fire is “tapped” (out). No injuries reported.
6:21 PM: City records show this house is slated for demolition – the permit was issued last November – with townhouses to replace it.
10:30 AM: An early-morning fire damaged that house in the 9000 block of 17th SW. The initial callout was just after 6 am; firefighters were still on scene a few hours later. They tell us no one was hurt – everyone got OK – but there’s too much damage for them to be able to go back inside. SFD investigators are looking into the cause. SFD is keeping an engine there for a while on “fire watch,” in case of flare-ups.
11:50 AM: As posted in comments, Chris recorded this (update: click here for video) while the fire was burning:
We’re still waiting to hear back from SFD on what investigators found.
1:17 PM: SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley tells WSB that investigators ruled the fire “accidental,” ignited by a candle. Damage is estimated at $230,000. (SFD recently published this advice about candle/incense safety.)
Just in case you’re in The Junction and wondering – four SFD units were sent to Pizzeria Credo (4520 California SW) but are reporting the problem was just “smoke from a pizza oven,” so they’re downsizing the response.
11:43 PM: Seattle Fire has dispatched a “full response” to the 3000 block of 47th SW for [map] what’s reported as a possible fire in a basement garage. Updates to come.
11:49 PM: Firefighters are confirming smoke from one level of a “split-level” home.
11:52 PM: The fire is reported to be under control.All occupants are safely out.
11:56 PM: And now the fire’s “tapped” (out).
12:13 AM: Some units continue to be dismissed from the scene. SFD says no one was hurt.
3:48 PM WEDNESDAY: SFD says the cause is still under investigation.
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