West Seattle, Washington
05 Sunday
(Friday morning photo by David Hutchinson)
Three days after fire damaged Alki’s historic Homestead Restaurant, its owner has a clearer picture of the road ahead to getting it reopened. As we reported Friday morning, investigators say the $400,000 fire was an electrical accident – sparked by too many Christmas lights plugged into a single socket. Tom Lin, who bought the Homestead after longtime owner Doris Nelson passed away, provides this update on what’s happening now with the restaurant (an official Seattle landmark), its employees, and the prospective new owner he was in the process of selling it to when this happened:
The dust has finally settled after 3 chaotic days. I know many people are interested in knowing what is going on with Alki Homestead after the fire, and I will update as much as I can as we proceed with the cleanup.
First of all, I must thank the Fire Department and the Police Department for the prompt response time. I believe the phone call was made at 5:20 AM and they had the fire out by 5:40. I don’t think anyone can ask for more than that. It was such a blessing that fire started at 5 AM instead of 5 PM and no one got hurt.
At 6 AM, my longtime employee, Bonnie, who worked for Mrs. Nelson for 17 years and has worked for me for 3 years, showed up in tears wanting to talk to the Fire Chief. She had one request, she asked if anyone could get the reservation book so she could call all the customers who had reservation for the weekend. A “firewoman” went inside, grabbed the charred reservation book and handed to Bonnie.
After examining the damage, I think it will take longer than 6 months to reopen Alki Homestead. The damage is quite extensive. I believe the entire roof needs to be replaced. The middle part of the second floor will have to come down. There is a big hole in the ceiling of the first floor where the fire went up and that also punctured a hole in the roof.
This is our photo from Friday showing that damage:
Tom continues:
The ceiling of the main dining room is pretty much charred. The fireplace actually stopped the fire from spreading to the left side of the dining room. All the tables and chairs are gone. Luckily, the dining table that is over 100 years old is still standing. The King and Queen’s chairs are ok. The PI clock and the sideboards are charred. All the chandeliers are melted. I think we can salvage the pictures of the Barnards.
I will know more next week after we get the official damage report. I have already instructed the general manager, Chris Long, to supplement employees with their salary for at least 3 months. It is more than a job for most of them and we will not leave them on the street at any cost.
I know we have lots of gift certificates outstanding. We will try to get other restaurants in Alki to honor them or we will redeem the gift certificates with cash. I will post the details soon. If any restaurants would like to honor our gift certificates, please e-mail me.
I have spoken to the buyer of the restaurant business and he is still interested in taking over, except it will be on a later date. I will disclose the buyer’s identity later in the week after our meeting tomorrow. We will be renegotiating the terms of the sale and hopefully come to an agreement.
I bought Alki Homestead because I wanted to preserve the part of history that has been very important to this neighborhood. Some people may still want to treat me like an outsider, but I have as much at stake as anyone else who lives here. In any event, our goal is to restore the restaurant and hopefully make it better. We will get a better facility that will meet the ADA standards, from the bathrooms to the handicapped ramp. Hopefully wheelchair customers won’t have to go through the kitchen and hopefully the bathrooms will be big enough to accommodate wheelchairs with no steps going up and down. This may be our chance to update the restaurant, think positive. Both Alki Homestead and the pan-fried chicken will return.
So much for the thoughts tonight, hope to get some feedback soon. My e-mail is alkihomestead@yahoo.com.
Tom Lin
For those who’ve never been inside, this Wikimedia photo shows what a special place it’s been:
But just hours after the fire, so many of those interior fixtures, as Tom mentioned, were in a charred heap outside:
We will be following up with Tom for those future updates he mentioned.
Eerily, we can’t help but note that it’s just a few weeks till the first anniversary of the fire that closed another beloved West Seattle restaurant for months – the Charlestown Cafe fire in February 2008 – that one, too, an accident; the Charlestown finally reopened almost five months later.
(scroll down for latest information, continuing to add it as we get it)
(photo by David Hutchinson)
ORIGINAL 6:23 AM POST (which was headlined “Alki Homestead fire out”): That’s according to Helen Fitzpatrick of the Seattle Fire Department, who says flames were coming from the rear of the restaurant when crews arrived. Crews were sent out about 5:20 am. The Homestead’s log-house building on 61st SW south of Alki SW (map) is a city landmark (since 1996); the restaurant business was up for sale last year and we had reported just before the holidays (11/25/08 WSB report here) that its owner, Tom Lin, had found buyers. According to the Fire Department, no one was in the building at the time of this morning’s fire. More details and photos shortly. 6:43 AM UPDATE: Another photo from David Hutchinson, this one showing the fire-response vehicles lined up all the way onto Alki Ave. Witness reports say firefighters had to cut into the building while fighting the flames. No word of any injuries.
6:49 AM UPDATE: Co-publisher Patrick has an update from SFD spokesperson Fitzpatrick at the scene: The fire broke out on the 1st floor and flames did shoot up through the roof. No idea yet what caused it. Damage is mostly confined to the 1st floor (which of course is the restaurant’s main floor). 61st remains blocked off from Alki Ave to SW Stevens (Log House Museum).
7 AM UPDATE: Most of the fire vehicles are starting to pack up to leave. We’re not being allowed around back of the building so far, so it’s too soon to say just how extensive the damage appears from the outside.
7:06 AM UPDATE: Fitzpatrick says there’s “significant smoke and char damage on the first floor” and some damage in the attic area. Investigation into the cause continues.
7:22 AM UPDATE: Patrick just talked with owner Tom Lin at the scene. The message he wanted to reaffirm: Nobody is hurt – in the past there were tenants renting some space in the building but that space has been vacant for a while. Tom knows his office was damaged but doesn’t know the extent of the restaurant damage yet and so has no idea when it’ll reopen. He told us that he lives nearby and heard the sirens; when he realized how close they were, he went over to look and was shocked to find out it was the Homestead. Patrick asked about the in-progress sale mentioned in our November report; Tom said it hadn’t closed yet but the prospective purchaser had been actively preparing for some potential remodeling work, and the restaurant had been scheduled to close soon because of that (as he’d told us in November). Patrick adds that the fire damage is not visible from outside, at least from the front of the restaurant; Tom believes the thickness of the log structure kept the flames from actually breaking through the framework, aside from the aforementioned attic damage. (added later – video we shot as a TV reporter was interviewing him with the same questions we’d asked some time earlier)
7:38 AM UPDATE: Owner Tom just told Patrick investigators believe the fire was electrical in origin.
8:01 AM NOTE: We’ll have more photos back shortly, more clearly showing the damage from outside. Regarding the mention of the attic, we’re reminded that we covered a special sale at the Homestead last April (here’s our story, with photos); many of the items had been brought out of storage in the attic.
8:15 AM UPDATE: Adding more photos. First, this is from behind the restaurant, showing the roof damage – that’s right behind the famous vertical neon sign:
Looking at the roof from the front, only a little damage can be seen, right around the chimney:
Here’s a wide shot of the restaurant’s century-old building – from this angle, if not for the fire trucks, you wouldn’t have known there’d been a fire:
By the way, if you’ve never been inside the Homestead, here’s a photo of the interior.
10:29 AM UPDATE: From Dana Vander Houwen at the SFD: The fire is blamed on “excessive draw of power for Christmas lights plugged into a single outlet” and damage is estimated at $400,000.
11:45 AM UPDATE: From an opening to the courtyard on the alley behind the restaurant, you can see this sad scene – burned items from inside the restaurant.
ORIGINAL 2:17 PM POST: We’re en route to the “single-family residence” fire call in the 1400 block of 42nd SW (map). Scanner traffic just now indicates the fire is “tapped.” 2:39 PM UPDATE: The fire’s actually in the 1400 block of Palm, contrary to what the 911 log says. Firefighters tell WSB it appears to have started in or near a wall-mounted microwave oven in the kitchen, though nobody was home. There were some flames and lots of smoke, but it’s out now, and nobody’s hurt. ADDED 3:07 PM: The microwave:
ORIGINAL 12:22 AM POST: Just belatedly saw word of a fire call (thanks to Aaron and Edith) that’s been open since just before 11 pm in the 5200 block of 18th SW (map). No indication of Fire Department media unit alert, which usually means not too big, but the call isn’t closed so we’re heading over to check it out. 12:55 AM UPDATE: Two fire units were still there when we rolled up (Engine 11 and Ladder 11). Fire out. Firefighters told us it was a “small house fire,” nobody hurt, and investigators were trying to figure out how it started. Adding a brief bit of video shortly.
Thanks to WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli for providing that photo as well as information about the sizable “fire in single-family residence” call in Highland Park, 7700 block of 15th SW (map). “Food on the stove,” firefighters told Christopher, nobody hurt, but crews had to stay a while, using fans to clear smoke out of the house.
There’s a “3 Red” call at Allstar Fitness – one patron texted us that everybody was asked to leave because of a “smell of smoke.” So far the call has not escalated beyond the three units originally dispatched (lower level than a “fire in building” call); we’ll let you know if/when we find out more. 7:53 PM UPDATE: Call is now officially closed.
We just followed up with the Seattle Fire Department regarding the investigation into this morning’s small-but-scary fire at 6016 California SW, same building as the Puget Sound Key and Lock arson last March. Spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen tells WSB it’s been ruled accidental – “a box pushed up against a heater caught fire.” As we reported earlier, nobody was hurt. Vander Houwen goes on to say it’s an unfortunate but important reminder for all of us at this time of year as we’re turning our heaters on again after they’ve been idle all summer – be sure to keep a safe space between heaters and furniture or other objects – this past weekend, in fact, she notes there was a big fire in another part of the city that started in a couch that was too close to a heater. 4:05 PM ADDENDUM: Following up on our phone conversation, Vander Houwen sent along these specific tips for us to share with you:
With the approach of cooler weather, the Seattle Fire Department would like to remind residents of the need to heat their homes safely. Here are some tips:
All types of heaters need space. Do not put anything that can burn near a heater.
Baseboard heaters are very efficient, but they can be a serious fire hazard if used carelessly. Check baseboard heaters often to make sure that nothing has fallen or been placed near the heater, including drapes, furniture and bedding.
Keep all portable heaters at least three foot away from anything that can burn.
Additional information is available on the Seattle Fire Department website: seattle.gov/fire
(photo added 11:58 am)
ORIGINAL REPORT: Big callout to 6016 California SW (map), just north of Morgan Junction. We’ve got someone on the way; more to come. 11:34 AM UPDATE: Address is the same as Puget Sound Key and Lock, hit by a still-unsolved arson back in March. AVOID THE AREA – co-publisher Patrick is stuck in traffic heading there from the north – he can see fire crews on the building’s roof. Scanner traffic monitored here at HQ confirms California is COMPLETELY closed at the scene, between Raymond and Graham, and at least three Metro buses are “stuck in this mess” as one person termed it. 11:42 AM UPDATE: It’s not the locksmith storefront (which just reopened this summer) – it’s apparently West Seattle Digital’s office, adjacent to the south side of PSKL, according to locksmith Mike Dein, who just talked with Patrick at the scene. (clip added 12:19 pm) Here’s how he told us he noticed the fire:
11:45 AM UPDATE: Patrick just talked with the incident commander, who says some boxes were on fire inside an office, but it’s out now, no major damage, nobody hurt. California may still be blocked for another half-hour or so at the scene, though, so if you have to get between The Junction and Morgan Junction, take alternate routes like 42nd for now. 12:07 PM UPDATE: No word so far on how those boxes caught fire. Here’s a closer photo from the scene – the WS Digital door is the open one on the right of the locksmith window:
12:18 PM UPDATE: California SW is open again past the fire scene; only one truck left, parked out front.
(photo by Christopher Boffoli)
ORIGINAL REPORT: Cal-Mor is the cylindrical building on California just north of Fauntleroy. First engine there said “nothing visible”; now they’re investigating inside the building. 8:27 PM UPDATE: WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli is there and says California is closed at the scene. 8:34 PM UPDATE: We’re arriving at the scene and it appears California is open southbound, blocked northbound next to Cal-Mor; the California/Fauntleroy intersection is flowing OK. 8:43 PM UPDATE: Both sides of California OK now, but emergency vehicles curbside so still a little bit slow going. Just talked to the incident commander on the scene, Bill Zander; he tells us that it was a case of burned “food on the stove” — only damage from the door that had to be broken down so fire crews could get in, because the tenant apparently resisted requests to open the door. The incident commander says the tenant was having a bit of respiratory trouble from the smoke, got treated with oxygen, but chose to return to his apartment rather than being taken to the hospital for a precautionary checkout.
Just back from the scene of a house fire in the 6700 block of 15th SW (here’s a map; that’s just a few blocks from South Seattle Community College). The Fire Department says all 8 people in the house got out safely even before firefighters arrived; the flames started in a back bedroom and spread a bit further into the house before it was “quickly extinguished.” Firefighters were already in mopup mode when we arrived; they’re not sure yet what started the fire, but they confirm nobody is hurt. This video shows some scorching on the front of the house and some smoke damage visible through the front door:
The Red Cross was reported to be on the way to help the family. We’ll add an update here later when the Fire Department has information on what started the fire. 10:05 AM UPDATE: According to Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen, investigators say an “unattended candle” caused the fire. Damage to the house totals $150,000.
As of 8 am there’s still no word from the Seattle Fire Department about the cause of the fire early this morning in the 10000 block of the alley between 40th and 41st SW. Though the fire was centered in one garage, there is damage to another, and an adjacent house appears to have some heat damage as well. As soon as there’s an update we’ll have it for you. Here’s some pictures of the damage taken at 7:45 this morning. Click here for our breaking news coverage from earlier. 10:12 AM UPDATE: SFD has updated its media info on the fire; spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen says investigators “have ruled the cause (as) undetermined.” Dollar estimate on the damage: $80,000.
(video added 1:42 am – this is looking toward the alley through bushes from 40th SW, close as we could get, you can see the flames’ glow and hear sirens and also hear, then see, a chainsaw crews were using)
ORIGINAL POST: First engine arriving in 10000 block of 40th SW to a “garage fire” call reported via radio a “fully involved” garage – so we’re headed that way to check it out. Two garages and one vehicle burning, according to a subsequent scanner broadcast. 1:29 AM UPDATE: Just back from the scene. At least one garage burned along the alley between 40th and 41st in the 10000 block (map). Huge flames when we arrived – even bigger before we got there, according to neighbors on two sides of that block – who told us they heard explosion-type noises shortly after the fire started (not uncommon). Here’s what else one neighbor about a block west told us:
No official info just yet so everything we report will be from what we saw at the scene and learned from witnesses. No injuries so far as we could tell – a medic unit was there and left empty. Uploading video momentarily – we couldn’t get too close to a burning garage on a narrow alley, obviously, but the flames were clearly visible between houses from a vantage point on 40th. Also note, 100th and 102nd were still blocked off from 40th to 41st when we left a few minutes ago. 1:48 AM UPDATE: The SFD media hotline confirms “two garages about 10 feet apart” burned, no injuries. Scanner traffic is still very active, so fire crews clearly will be there for quite some time. 2:18 AM UPDATE: Still monitoring the scanner; seems at least one other media crew just got there a short time ago, so you might see something on at least one of the early morning newscasts. Here’s a photo from nearby resident Kevin McClintic that shows how thick the smoke was in the air, even more than a block away:
One more clip from our video, more notable for the sound than the picture … as one engine backs up to switch locations, you can hear lots more in the distance – many more arrived even after we got to the scene:
We will update whenever there’s more official info on the damage and any possible cause.
First word comes from Chris Monsos – it’s on the 911 log too. Adding a cameraphone photo in a moment. Not sure yet about details of the incident. 4:39 PM UPDATE: Added photo. Heading that way to find out more, now that the 39th/Holden drug raid is wrapped up (see previous post). Chris says whatever it was must have been small – nothing’s visible but he could smell smoke when he pulled up, and he sees the fire crew “squeegee-ing up water from the lobby.” 4:46 PM UPDATE: Our crew is there now – fire alarms can still be heard, and water can still be seen coming out of the lobby. We’ll let you know as soon as we find out what happened and whether it’s affecting club operations for the rest of today/tonight. 4:50 PM UPDATE: Two sources – the fire commander at the scene, and Cami from Alki (quoting the owner) – say it was a laundry-room fire; the commander says it started in the lint trap; out now, no injuries reported. Employees tell WSB the owner hasn’t decided how the rest of the night will go – first concern is getting people who were inside the club when this happened, back inside now to get their stuff. (Later note: Still no official word, so just call before you go.)
(8/17/2007 photo by Garrett Burke)
That was the scene at 4132 California SW, on the northernmost edge of The Junction, as a huge fire burned in the early-morning hours of August 17, 2007, exactly one year ago today. The next day, investigators announced the fire had been ruled arson. In the ensuing months, we have received occasional e-mail questions wondering if the case was ever solved; a few days ago, we checked back with Seattle Police to see if any progress had been made in the investigation; Officer Jeff Kappel in the Media Unit told WSB by phone that they cannot comment on specifics, except to say it is an “open investigation.” The arson burned an under-construction live/work-unit building, but Knoll Development did not let the fire stop its plans — shortly afterward, as we showed you in this report last December, rebuilding resumed, and today the building is almost done:
We took that photo today. Meantime, if you have any information that might help investigators close this case, you can call Seattle Police (non-emergency line is 206/625-5011) or the national Arson Hotline, 800-55-ARSON.
When that Alki duplex caught fire two and a half weeks ago, its owner was out of town and its tenant managed to get out OK (though her cat was missing for a while). Several people asked in WSB comment threads whether the tenant needed any help, and we renewed that question in an e-mail exchange with a friend of hers. Over the weekend, she e-mailed WSB to say there is one thing that’s proving to be a challenge – finding a new place to live:
Hoping to find a house for rent in the Admiral area, but it’s difficult; if anyone is a good networker and knows of a nice quiet neighborhood that takes dogs, that would be helpful. I really need a nice quiet place to recover from the chaos of the fire and Alki, it’s been too much.
If you have any leads, please post a comment here, or e-mail us and we will forward to her.
(3/26/08 WSB photo)
He vowed he would rebuild, and now he has: Four and a half months after the arson attack that shut down locksmith Michael Dein‘s business, Puget Sound Key and Lock on the north edge of Morgan Junction, he just sent word the shop is about to reopen – and planning to offer a special service:
Just wanted to let everyone know that I am re-opening my shop on Monday!!!
I got my keys back yesterday, and am taking this weekend to set up the shop, so i just wanted to take a second to thank everyone for their support in helping me to reopen my shop. I look forward to being able to continue to serve the community, which I have truly grown to love.
Many of you may not be aware of how serious a problem domestic abuse is in modern society, and in an effort to do our share in making the exit of an abusive relationship safer, we will provide, free of charge, rekeying services to the victims of domestic abuse who have obtained “no contact,” “restraining” or other such lawful decrees. This is an open-ended offer, and we are available 24/7.
Thanks again,
Mike Dein – Puget Sound Key & Lock
206-933-8882
To this date, no arrest has been made in connection with the March 21st early-morning fire that gutted Dein’s shop (6016 California SW); tips are still welcome at 800-55-ARSON. Dein told us the day of the fire that he had no insurance, and that moved WSB Forum Community members to action; a month afterward, they put on a well-attended fundraiser (WSB coverage here).
After the Alki duplex fire two weeks ago tonight, someone commented on WSB that their initial call to 911 was routed to Kitsap County. West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen read that comment, noting it’s happened to him too, and decided to check into it. He and his staff found out what happens in cases like that, why, and one good way to make sure it doesn’t hold up emergency reporting; they shared their discoveries with WSB – read on:Read More
Thanks to Adam and KB for e-mailing about a house fire at 4825 Delridge (map). Adam advises Delridge is blocked in the area (from Edmunds northward for about 2 blocks) because of the fire trucks. Thanks to KB for the pix (re: the first one, he says 4825 is “the house with the ladder” at left). King County property records show this is a four-plex owned by the Seattle Housing Authority. Additional info from Adam – he says the fire had “… flames reaching about 20 feet in the air. We watched from across the street. Firefighters had to use chainsaws to cut a hole in the roof to access the house while spraying water from the hydrants outside.” 2:30 AM UPDATE: Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen gives this update on the media hotline: Firefighters found lots of smoke when they got to the scene and managed to put out the fire quickly; the fire was confined to the second story. Vander Houwen says one adult and four children got out of the residence on their own; nobody was hurt, and they are now getting Red Cross assistance. Too soon to say what caused the fire and how much damage it did; firefighters are continuing to investigate. 5:04 AM NOTE: No update yet on the SFD media line; we’ll check again in a few hours. 9:23 AM UPDATE: Not yet. However, we’ve heard back from Adam, who says the number on the building was 4845, not 4825; the latter number is what was both on the 911 log and the media hotline. 4845 is a privately owned duplex. 10:15 AM UPDATE: An update from the Fire Department — the cause is listed as “accidental electrical fire,” and damage totals $90,000. It was also noted that the people in the duplex were alerted by a smoke alarm.
(7/24/08 photo by David Hutchinson)
Since the Alki duplex fire a week ago yesterday, we’ve continued to check with the Seattle Fire Department regarding their determination of what caused it. Just heard back from SFD spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen, who says investigators just couldn’t find enough evidence – so it will be permanently classified as “undetermined.”
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
Just posted beneath our second report on last night’s 56th/Alki duplex fire (first report here), this message from the duplex tenant:
I would like to thank the Seattle fire dept, they did an amazing job in taking care of myself and my family in this difficult time.
I would also like to remind people that the fire dept could have had an easier time if thay hadn’t needed to deal with all of the spectators. You might want to think in the future, how would I like people to behave if it were my house and my family in danger.
Sincere thanks to all the truly concerned people in my neighborhood!
We saw a small demonstration of that concern just this morning, while briefly stopping in the area for this short followup — one passerby stopped to ask a man outside the charred building if he lived there (he told her he was a friend of the tenant) and if everyone was OK. Meantime, the Seattle Fire Department tells WSB that investigators still need to talk with the duplex’s owner before they can officially determine/announce the fire’s cause. ADDED EARLY SATURDAY: Browsing YouTube, we just found video (posted by “carloberti“) from the fire that we hadn’t seen before – obviously from a cameraphone so low-quality but it shows two things from VERY early on: First, toward the start you can clearly hear authorities on a loudspeaker asking the crowd to make way (as mentioned above); shortly afterward, you see the flash as the growing fire takes out a transformer:
That’s what the burned 56th/Alki duplex looks like this morning from 56th, looking northeast. We just checked with the Fire Department again; still no official information on what investigators believe started the fire. (We published two multiple-update reports last night – with incredible contributions from witnesses, neighbors, many others, thank you again! – #1 is here, #2 is here.) AFTERNOON UPDATE: The Fire Department still isn’t announcing a cause; spokesperson Helen Fitzpatrick told us they need to talk to the owner first (and as we reported last night, she’s out of town). MEANWHILE: Also this morning, the newest information on the Fauntleroy Place (future Whole Foods etc.) demolition:
Project manager Easton Craft from BlueStar tells WSB the final major demolition work – actually bringing down the building – is now scheduled for Monday, because clearing out the interior contents (see the piles in the photo) turned out to be a really big job. Craft says “… they have found more recyclable material (metal/steel, masonry, wood) than they anticipated.” The demolition work started Tuesday (previous WSB coverage here and here; the latest on the FP development, including the design that will be reviewed at a public meeting on August 14th, is here).
(FIRST WSB REPORT WITH MULTIPLE UPDATES, LOTS OF PIX/VIDEO, CAN BE FOUND HERE)
Starting a new post to add more photos and any new information we get on the investigation of tonight’s fire at 2508 56th SW (map). Those two photos above were sent by David Hutchinson, who also contributed to our first 2 1/2 hours of fire coverage. The next photo is from D.S., who says it “was taken before the fire trucks got set up. Neighbors were hosing down the nearby house.”
At the scene, we talked with Shane Gilbert, who describes in this video clip what he heard just as the fire started:
And here’s an odd little scene we recorded around the corner – it’s not quite Nero fiddling while Rome burned, maybe more like taking advantage of a near-captive audience (since Alki Ave was blocked off at that point):
Still no update on the SFD media line (since the information we included in our first report); we’ll check again before taking our brief overnight break. 12:44 AM UPDATE: A tenant from the burned duplex had reported in comments on the first fire report that her cat was missing; now a followup comment says it’s been found. 3 AM UPDATE: Hotline now has an update – no cause determined yet, they need to “talk to a few more people, including the owner, who’s out of town” (as we reported in our first series of updates); the damage is estimated at $150,000 – $100K to the 86-year-old structure, $50K to its contents. Meantime, Logan Jenott sent along a gallery link and word of the unique perspective that afforded the chance to be shooting video as the fire trucks rolled up;
Here’s Logan’s story:
My volleyball team and I were playing a league game on Alki beach when my teammate Rob noticed a small fire burning on the covered deck of a house across the street. As the fire rapidly grew I grabbed my phone and called 911 while my teammates and I raced raced across the street. We were yelling that the house was on fire and my teammates Rob and Pamela pounded on the doors, trying to alert any occupants. One occupant was home on the ground floor and immediately evacuated. It took about 7 minutes for the first fire truck to arrive (my 911 call initially went to Kitsap County and they had to transfer me to Seattle, then I was on hold for about 1 minute before getting a dispatcher); by then the roof over the deck had collapsed, the fire had spread across the deck into the house and to the house next door. A large crowd had gathered and watched as a total of 5 fire trucks arrived and firefighters began battling the blaze.
From Logan’s gallery, you can play another clip that gives an even better picture of the number of spectators that gathered.
(scroll down and/or refresh for frequently added updates and photos – FIRST VIDEO CLIP AND PHOTO ARE COURTESY “ROCK STEELE”)
FIRST POST: Thanks to everyone who has called and texted. Lots of reports of big plume of black smoke visible from a long way away. Address is 2440 Alki (map), which checks out to an apartment building, though one caller describes it as “a house.” More than a dozen fire units called out. We’re on the way. Send photos if you have them (westseattleblog@yahoo.com) 9:07 PM UPDATE: (Second) photo above from gallery that TomA linked from the comments section (thank you), taken at 57th/Admiral. 9:12 PM UPDATE: WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli has been at the scene – he says it’s either a single-family home or a duplex-type structure, residential for sure. It was fully engulfed in flames (as you can tell from photo above). No word yet if anyone was hurt; scanner says they’re searching the second floor to be sure no one was inside. Traffic as you would imagine is “a parking lot” as Christopher puts it (and co-publisher Patrick, who is heading there to be our second crew on the scene, confirms it) so if you don’t have to be in that area, stay away. Scanner has firefighters calling in additional reinforcements for “crew rotation.” Patrick reports a SFD fireboat is visible just offshore; (added later) here’s Christopher’s photo of that fireboat:
9:21 PM UPDATE: Patrick talked to an investigator – no injuries, at least so far as they can tell now. Just added photo at very top of post, street-level pic courtesy “Rock Steele” (thank you to everyone sending photos – we’ll add other ones here inline in the post) – Alki News Beacon editor Cami MacNamara reports this is “a house converted to a duplex … the upstairs owner just left for Arizona yesterday.” 9:26 PM UPDATE: More photos just in, from Dartanyon Race, including this one:
Meantime, Patrick reports the fire is considered to be mostly “out,” with hot spots — the incident commander tells WSB investigators are on their way to start figuring out how it started. 9:31 PM UPDATE: Pulling up important info from “rlv” in the comments: “… police have Alki blocked off and are diverting traffic up 55th, which is not a huge street and is thus pretty packed. Please do avoid the area!” 9:34 PM UPDATE: Just added video clip, also courtesy “Rock Steele,” at the very top of this post. Click here for direct link to it on YouTube. 9:37 PM UPDATE: Scanner says a “media camera unit Ford Explorer” is at 56th and Lander and fire crews need it moved. Just in case any of the TV stations are reading this – check on your crews before someone gets towed! Also, Christopher’s photos are coming in – here are a couple:
9:41 PM UPDATE: Briefing from Fire Department public-info officer – cause not known – fire crews will be on scene for some time to come – she confirmed, nobody hurt and nobody home when it happened. 9:51 PM UPDATE: More pics in, this time from David Hutchinson – he shot the first one before fire units arrived, the second one as the first fire units were getting there:
9:58 PM UPDATE: Patrick reports the fire department public-info person has left, but City Light is there now, and has taken down power to part of the surrounding block. We may not have an official cause for a while; one e-mail, plus observations from Christopher at scene, place unofficial suspicion on a barbecue on the second floor – Christopher says it’s a gas grill. Here’s another of his shots, a wide shot from behind the building:
10:10 PM UPDATE: Still more photos continuing to come in – and many capture different aspects of what it took to fight this fire, like these from Thomas Wagner:
And here’s another Christopher Boffoli photo, taking a closer look at a firefighter in action:
Meantime, this photo was sent by Ray Carter, who adds some narrative (beneath the photo):
From Ray:
Seemed like a long response time. I ended up directing traffic for a bit, neighbors were using garden hoses both to help and to prevent spread of fire to their own places, SPD was first on scene…
A good thing to emphasize in coverage might be that:
A) Pedestrian vs Firetruck=flat pedestrian. Do not test this hypothesis, lest you become flat. At a fire scene, DO NOT try and cross roads that are approach paths.
B) DO NOT slow down, look, and stare intently at the fire as you drive past at 5mph – you obstruct Fire/Police/Medical access, and can cost lives and vastly increase property damage. Remember, Fire moves fast,
and so must Emergency Services. Usually 4 minutes from ignition to fully involved.
10:27 PM UPDATE: One of the tenants from the building has posted a comment saying her cat is missing: “… she is a medium sized older cat with mostly brown fur, her right front paw has a limp and her name is Puss, if you have any information (or) find my cat please post it here, I’m still in the area looking for her.” 10:30 PM UPDATE: Listening to the Fire Department’s media-hotline recording, their official info has a different address from the 911 log – 2508 56th SW (56th/Alki) – also describes it as “a fully involved garage fire that extended into a duplex, there was one resident home at the time and a neighbor pounded on the door and got him out.” No cause yet, though. Property records say this duplex was built in 1922. 10:38 PM UPDATE: The King County Parcel Viewer map (screengrab) gives you a better idea of the location:
Also just in, this photo from Vanessa Hutchinson:
Vanessa also blogged about checking WSB for info (and finding it) as soon as she realized something was going on. Thanks for the mention! 11:12 PM UPDATE: We are processing more video to add shortly, including an interview with an eyewitness. Checked with SFD again, still no word on an official cause. 11:59 PM UPDATE: Started a new post for additional photos, some video we brought back from the scene, and any early-am info on cause, Alki Ave status, etc. You’ll find that post here.
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