(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
5:09 PM: Sizable Seattle Fire response right now for a car fire reported in the underground garage by the Admiral Bartell Drugs. Per scanner, the sprinkler system has it under control and ventilation is the big concern now. More to come.

(Photo courtesy Ted Johnson)
5:36 PM UPDATE: Our crew at the scene says one car was involved and the fire didn’t spread to others. Lots of water on the floor inside the garage because of the sprinklers. Nobody hurt.

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
9:13 AM: Big Seattle Fire response at the McDonald’s in Admiral (3003 California SW), but our crew on the scene says it’s not a major problem – the smoke that led to fire concern was apparently sparked by mechanical trouble, possibly with the HVAC system. Some of the crews have been dismissed already. More to come.

9:20 AM: Just heard over the scanner – “this is smoke from a properly operating cooking exhaust system.” All but one engine will be leaving. (added) Our crew says SFD is allowing everyone back in, and the restaurant’s open for business.

12:59 AM: What started as a house-fire response near 24th/Thistle in Westwood appears to have become a car-fire call. Firefighters are checking to be sure it hasn’t spread to the structure. More to come.

1:15 AM: Our crew at the scene was told by SFD that the fire started in a vehicle in a carport and also scorched a boat parked nearby, but didn’t spread to the house. No one is hurt.

1:36 AM: Photo added.

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
1:58 PM: Another major Seattle Fire callout – this time at an apartment building in the 3600 block of SW Genesee (map). “Tapped” within minutes, according to radio report from the first units on scene, but we’re on our way to check.

2:26 PM UPDATE: It was a kitchen fire, but it spread briefly to some yarn (or similar material) in the cabinets by the stove, according to what firefighters told us at the scene, so it was very smoky, and that’s left them with a lot of ventilating to do. No injuries reported.

Big Seattle Fire response to a possible fire at a house in the 5600 block of 21st SW (map), but it was just a case of “food on the stove,” according to the first arrivals – cooking-oil flare-up, out fast. Most of the responding units are being canceled.

Two updates from the Seattle Fire Department:

MAN COLLAPSES AT WESTWOOD VILLAGE: Teresa e-mailed about frantic efforts to assist a man who had collapsed at Westwood Village early this morning, near the Starbucks store. We asked SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore, who says the 55-year-old man collapsed in the parking lot while either headed to or from the nearby 24-Hour Fitness gym: “A citizen witnessed the collapse and immediately started CPR. Firefighters arrived and continued CPR for an hour. Also, they used the AED multiple times to get a heart rhythm. Medics transported the patient to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.”

FOLLOWUP ON SATURDAY’S APARTMENT FIRE: When we checked with SFD on Monday, they still didn’t know what had caused the Saturday fire that gutted a waterfront apartment in the 3800 block of Beach Drive; we published this followup, including a request from one resident to help her daughter find a new place to live. Today we’ve learned from spokesperson Moore that SFD has ruled the fire accidental, “caused by combustibles placed too close to an electrical baseboard heater.” We also have learned that two firefighters from Engine 29 were injured – previously, one injury was mentioned; their injuries are described as “minor burns.” As reported Monday, damage totaled $180,000. With the update, Moore also offered a link about fire safety for apartments – see it here.

(Saturday photo courtesy of Michelle)
We’re following up today on the big fire that gutted a unit at a waterfront apartment building in the 3800 block of Beach Drive this past Saturday (WSB coverage here):

FIRE’S CAUSE: Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore tells WSB that investigators still have not determined how it started.

FIREFIGHTER’S CONDITION: As reported on Saturday, a firefighter had to go to the hospital Saturday for treatment of unspecified injuries. Moore says he was treated and released the same day.

FAMILY’S REQUEST: Kindhearted community members asked in comments here (and in the neighborhood) if they could do anything to help the family whose apartment was gutted. Patricia, who lived there with daughter Amanda, says there is ONE thing they do need help with:

Thank you so much for everyone’s concern and offers of help. We are truly blessed at the response of both friends and strangers to this disaster. We are doing well and have temporary housing, and mom has a permanent place coming up, but what is really needed right now is long-term housing for my 27-year-old daughter who was staying with me at the time of the fire and also lost absolutely everything. She works in West Seattle and needs a long-term, affordable place to live. If anybody has any ideas, that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you again for the outpouring of support… It means everything at a time like this! I can be reached at raisen@chico.com

The Red Cross was called in to help the family right after the fire; here’s an explanation of how that works.

(SCROLL DOWN for newest information)

(1st, 2nd, 4th photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
3:10 PM: Big Seattle Fire response to an apartment building in the 3800 block of Beach Drive (map), and the first units say they’re seeing flames. More to come.

3:18 PM: Firefighters are reporting that one unit of the three-story 12-unit building is fully involved in flames. (added) You can see it in this photo tweeted by Vanessa:

That view is looking at the burning waterfront unit from nearby Harbor West, the condo building on pilings over the water, south of Cormorant Cove Park. So far, no word of any injuries.

3:37 PM: Radio communications indicate firefighters have searched the building and so far it appears everyone got out OK. Seattle Fire’s public-information officer is headed there, so our crew at the scene will get a full update before too long.

3:48 PM: Thanks to Tracy Dart for the view just above this line, with one of the ladder trucks summoned to the scene. Our crew says there’s no more smoke, but as you can also see in Tracy’s view, the response is so big, Beach Drive will remain closed for a while. Via the scanner, we’re hearing firefighters declaring the fire “tapped”; they’re trying to get a Metro bus so that the people who can’t get into their units will have someplace warm to wait. Our crew talked to residents who say they’re waiting to hear if and when they’ll be able to get back into the units that were not involved in the fire.

4:09 PM: The briefing at the scene was given by Fire Chief Gregory Dean (video added):

He says a firefighter was hurt and taken to a hospital – he didn’t have details on the nature of the injury. Otherwise, everyone who lived at the building is believed to have gotten out OK, including at least three dogs. Too soon to know how the fire started. Some of the units are being dismissed from the scene now that the operation is winding down.

(Added: Photo courtesy Michelle)
4:31 PM: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore is there too and tells us the firefighter’s injuries are minor. The building has 12 units; 7 people and 4 dogs were home when this started, he says, confirming all got out OK.

5:17 PM: More post-fire logistics at the scene, per scanner: They’ll be keeping a fire watch with a crew at the scene in case of flareups; the Red Cross is being called to help the unit’s residents and their dog; there’s a call out to get the road sanded so residual water from the firefight doesn’t create an ice hazard.

9:06 PM: We don’t know yet how the fire started. But we have one more view of the scene, shared by artist Joshua Boulet, who lives nearby:

That is one of two sketches he made; you can see the other on his website.

9:55 PM: An update from SFD – they still don’t know the cause, but damage totaled $180,000. Everyone was able to go back into their apartments but the people living on the beach level, where the fire was.

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
12:25 AM: Seattle Fire is en route to a possible house fire in the 6300 block of 36th SW (map). The first units on scene say they’re seeing smoke from the attic.

12:31 AM: Our crew will be there shortly. Firefighters say they’re seeing flames from the attic. They also say a resident of the house told them everyone has gotten out OK.

12:35 AM: Firefighters report having searched both floors of the house to make extra-sure no one’s inside, and “all clear” so far.

12:41 AM: Just heard from our crew on scene. Small house, just north of the 35th/Morgan U-Haul’s west side. Lots of smoke. Bit of flame visible. Via scanner, we’ve heard firefighters declare it under control.

12:59 AM: They’re calling for the Red Cross to assist the home’s residents. Our crew says the fire marshal (investigator) is just arriving, so it’s too soon to say how this started. SFD confirms that no one was hurt and says they’re expecting to have a “fire watch” at the scene all night in case of flare-ups.

1:26 AM: Some of the SFD units have been dismissed from the scene. Meantime, our crew is back and we are adding several photos, as well as substituting one for the previously published cameraphone photo that had been atop this story.

10:35 AM UPDATE: SFD’s Lt. Harold Webb says the fire’s cause was determined to be “accidental/electrical.” (Radio discussion during the firefight had included a mention of knob-and-tubing wiring in the 96-year-old house.) No dollar estimate for the damage so far.

2:53 AM: A big callout for a potential house fire in the 4800 block of Beach Drive. First crew on scene sees “light smoke.” More to come.

2:56 AM: Most of the units are being canceled – this turned out to be, according to communications between fire crews and dispatch, “small kitchen fire, (extinguished) by occupant.”

1:16 PM: Just in case you saw the big fire callout in the 5200 block of SW Andover (map) this past half-hour and wondered about it – our crew reports it was a kitchen problem, generally described by firefighters as “food on the stove,” and is wrapping up.

4:25 PM: Commenters say it actually turned out to be electrical. We won’t be able to get a final report from SFD until Monday.

MONDAY UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore confirms that while it was a kitchen problem, as commenters noted, it did not turn out to be a cooking problem. He also says the smoke detector made a big difference:

We were dispatched at 12:59 p.m. to 5227 SW Andover St for reports of a fire in the kitchen. It turned out it was a dishwasher fire that extended to the kitchen cabinets. The occupant was home alone asleep and woke to to the smoke detectors going off and evacuated. Firefighters contained the fire to the kitchen. Minor fire damage but there was smoke damage inside the house. There were no injuries.

Big Seattle Fire response checking out a possible “fire in building” in the 6500 block of California SW. More to come.

UPDATE: False alarm, apparently – it closed quickly.

(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
Today, firefighters from Station 37 in Sunrise Heights came to High Point Branch Library to read “No Dragons for Tea” to preschoolers and to explain basic rules of fire safety. They opened the reading with news that Engine 37 will be replaced soon by a newer fire engine. More on that shortly. First: Brian Shaner read for the storytime today.

Other firefighters from Station 37 – Lt. Paul Adams, Jorge Bernal, and Tiffany Colman – were present for the reading. After reading, Bernal suited up to introduce the children to what a fully suited firefighter looks like.

The goal of this part of the presentation is to help kids know, if they ever are in an emergency situation and come face to face with a suited-up firefighter, that they shouldn’t be scared.

After about 25 minutes, everyone was invited to take a tour of Engine 37, which was parked outside the library.

We asked SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore later about the replacement plan for E-37. He confirmed: “Station 37 is getting a new, larger engine before Christmas. The new Engine 37 will have a modern cleaner-burning engine with additional safety features but the same pumping capacity. The older engine will be turned into a reserve engine.” E-37 is one of three that SFD is replacing, he added, along with E-35 in Ballard and E-20 in Queen Anne/Interbay.

1:27 PM: Avoid 9th SW/SW Henderson vicinity in south Highland Park for a while; roads are blocked as emergency responders deal with what was reported as a power-pole fire. We’re heading over to look.

2:31 PM UPDATE: 9th is closed at Henderson and at Trenton. We were told at the scene that City Light will have to replace the pole, so the closure might last a while. No outage reported, though.

2:53 PM: STREET CLOSED signs are now arriving in the area, more proof it’ll be a while – with 9th closed from Barton to Trenton, Henderson closed east of 10th.

3:07 PM: Scanner-monitored discussion indicates the closure will constrict back to 9th/Henderson.

8:35 PM: We just stopped by the scene. 9th isn’t blocked, but Henderson is, and police/utility crews there say they will likely be working “a few more hours.” The new pole is up but now it’s time for connecting, testing, etc. – and they’re working in rain and wind.

9:34 PM: A full “fire in building” response is headed to The Kenney (WSB sponsor) at 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW right now. The initial report is that a chair is on fire in a room there.

9:40 PM: Firefighters have since amended that to “food on the stove.” No injuries reported. Not even enough smoke to require extra ventilation, according to scanner discussion. But we’re headed over to doublecheck.

9:54 PM: Our crew’s just back from checking at the scene to verify that everyone’s OK – they are, and the remaining fire crews have packed up and left.

(WSB photo: SFD crews before they wrapped up & left scene)
First report: Seattle Fire is arriving at an apartment building in the 6700 block of Murray SW (map) to check out a possible fire. More to come.

Update: Kitchen fire – “food on stove” – and already tapped.

10:12 PM: We’ve confirmed at the scene, that’s all it was.

2:09 PM: A car fire has SFD and SPD at Avalon/Genesee right now, and we’ve heard that buses are being diverted. (added) Just passed 35th/Avalon – north/eastbound traffic is blocked there.

2:18 PM: Westbound traffic is blocked just past Genesee. 1964 VW Bug had an engine fire. No injuries. Road shouldn’t be closed too much longer.

(First three photos by WSB’s Christopher Boffoli)
1:59 PM: Seattle Fire response is arriving at a “fire in building” response in the 2700 block of California. That’s just across from Hiawatha – sounds like the response is in the alley behind the building, so we’re not sure until we get there how traffic is being affected.

2:08 PM: Police are being sent for traffic control on California, so definitely avoid the area – which is of course a busy one, with Safeway and Lafayette to the north. No word of any injuries so far. It continues to be described as “44th Avenue” on the scanner, despite California on the 911 log, so that street is likely affected too.

2:13 PM: SFD says the fire’s in a garage. Per the scanner, it’s just been declared “tapped.”

2:23 PM: Added photos; we have two crews there. SFD confirms no one hurt. This was centered at the back (off the alley between 44th and California) of the building that includes a martial-arts studio. And if you’re hearing/seeing a helicopter, it’s just TV.

2:38 PM: Lafayette Elementary, just north of the block where this fire happened, gets out at 3:40 pm, an hour from now.

Too soon to say how much SFD equipment will still be there, but if you have to go pick up your child, please be aware of this incident disrupting normal walking/driving/riding patterns, especially on the west side of California/Lander.

(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Meantime, our crews at the scene are told that much of the damage was in the aforementioned garage (photo added above); no vehicle in there, apparently, but lots of items including appliances.

3:27 PM: We went back to check on traffic. It’s moving again. But one important note – the Evergreen Tang Soo Do martial-arts studio tells us they will NOT have classes for the rest of the day/night; the studio was affected by smoke from the fire.

(WSB photos, added 2:58 am)
1:59 AM: Now Seattle Fire is at the scene of a reported “room fire” inside what sounds like one of the vacated buildings at the future 3210 California development site (former Cayce/Gain offices). More to come.

2:24 AM UPDATE: We are at the scene. Fire out, no injuries. It *was* in the back of the vacant, awaiting-demolition ex-Cayce/Gain/Cometa building. No cause yet and no one will speculate on any connection to those earlier dumpster fires a few blocks north. Many of the units are leaving, but the street will be blocked a while longer.

10:30 AM Police now say via SPD Blotter that they are indeed investigating this fire and two Dumpster fires as arson and are seeking tips.

12:08 AM: Right now in the Admiral District, investigators are dealing with multiple Dumpster fires, and looking into the possibility they were arson. (Thanks to Peter for sharing the photo from one fire between Admiral Chevron and Admiral 7-11.) They have mentioned a possible suspect description over emergency radio – white male, 5’11”, gray jacket with a white stripe, khaki shorts, last seen running southbound on Admiral near California.

4:02 AM: We’ve reported separately on the 2 am fire in South Admiral. Now, a small fire in High Point is now under investigation, and firefighters are checking out a report of smoke in Gatewood. No official information at this point indicating any of this is related but police and fire investigators are checking it all out.

10:30 AM: Via SPD Blotter, police now say they are indeed investigating two Dumpster fires and the 3200 block California SW fire as arson and are seeking tips.