West Seattle, Washington
06 Sunday
5:14 AM: Thanks for the tips and photo from the overnight fire callout in Riverview. Firefighters are reported to have extinguished a fire in the women’s restroom at Riverview Playfield in the 7300 block of 12th SW, first reported after 2 am. We’ll be following up with SFD and Parks later this morning.
8:48 AM: No one from Parks was around when we went to the scene to follow up a short time ago, but our photo, above, shows some of the damage, and that this building includes storage; the entire building is taped off.
(Photo courtesy Peter Yanacek)
10:44 AM: If you’re wondering about the big Seattle Fire response at Fauntleroy Church right now: It is categorized as an automatic fire alarm. Scanner reports indicate sprinklers went off, possibly because of an electrical fire. We are en route to find out more.
10:56 AM: Church member Peter Yanacek, who also posted this in comments, says the fire was in the library, and happened during the Music Sunday service; everyone is reported to be safe outside.
(WSB photo)
SFD has dispatched its investigator. Our photographer just called in and said the sprinklers discharged “a lot of water,” according to SFD, so that will require cleanup.
11:06 AM: Church attendees are being allowed back in to get their personal items. The church also has put out a call for wet-dry/shop-type vacs that they could use with the cleanup. The co-housed Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) is closed, we’re told, for water cleanup, and they don’t yet know if they’ll reopen later today.
3:33 PM: Rev. Leah Atkinson Bilinski sent this to her church’s congregation:
This morning, during our worship service, we experienced a small fire in our fourth floor library. The fire was accidentally caused by a child (who was not physically harmed, but who is quite emotionally upset). The sprinkler system worked as it should, and the fire was contained to a very small area within the library.
Water did soak walls and flooring on the fourth floor outside the library, office floor below (outside of offices), lobby, and one bathroom in the narthex as it came through the ceiling.
A big thank you to all of our volunteers who jumped right to work cleaning up what water we could before the professionals arrived this afternoon. Bless you, bless you, bless you!
Our annual meeting will be rescheduled and we will be in touch with that new date within the next few days. If pieces of Music Sunday are able to rescheduled, we’ll also let you know that.
The fire was small, and we are a strong, healthy church. All will be well!
As we rejoice in that wellness, let us remember to pray today for those who are not well, notably those involved in the horribly tragic loss of life in Orlando. Let us pray for those lost, their families, LGBTQ families everywhere and a world in which so much hate still exists and is allowed to fester.
And to those prayers, I ask a smaller, but special additional prayer — for one very scared child and her family today, who need to know us as their church family. Love is so powerful, and I thank God for a church that loves well and adds love to a world in such desperate need of it.
5:28 PM: We stopped by a short time ago. The water cleanup continues:
A professional cleanup crew is on site now, but Rev. Bilinski says they are thankful for the many volunteers who pitched in earlier today.
5:42 PM: The Fauntleroy Y will reopen tomorrow.
4:15 AM: A “full response” is arriving at a possible house-fire call in the 8100 block of 30th SW [map]. More to come.
4:19 AM: It’s a garage fire, SFD has tweeted. The response is being scaled down and its investigator is on the way.
4:29 AM: Our crew is at the scene and confirms that the fire’s out but a detached garage is damaged, as is a car inside it. No one hurt.
4:36 AM: SFD’s investigator has arrived to figure out what caused this. (Sunday’s early-morning garage fire, you might recall, was blamed on improperly discarded charcoal briquets. We’ll check back on this one later in the morning.)
10:19 AM: SFD spokesperson Lt. Sue Stangl tells WSB the garage fire is suspected to have been set, so Seattle Police are investigating. We went back a short time ago for a daylight look at the damage:
The arson tipline is 800-55-ARSON.
(Added: WSB photo)
7:54 AM: Seattle Fire is already scaling back what was a “full response” to a possible house fire in the 9000 block of 39th SW [map] – it’s reported to be a “small electrical fire” that’s already out.
8:05 AM: Our crew is at the scene and confirmed that description of what happened. Remaining fire crews are making one last check of the attic at the house to be sure nothing’s smoldering. No injuries.
Sunday morning’s garage fire behind a house just south of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (WSB coverage here) burned big – as that photo from a neighbor showed – and briefly. We checked with Seattle Fire this morning to see what its investigator found out about the cause; SFD spokesperson Corey Orvold tells WSB that the fire was ruled accidental, sparked by “improperly discarded charcoal briquets.” No one was hurt, but the fire also burned a tree and damaged a car.
Thanks to Kylee Schmuck for sending that photo of the car that caught fire at the east end of the Roxbury corridor a little while ago – 1st and Olson (map), according to the Seattle Fire dispatch. No word of any injuries but Seattle Police have been dispatched to handle traffic in the aftermath of the fire, so avoid the area for a while if you can.
(Added 4:59 am: Photo sent by neighbor)
FIRST REPORT, 4:09 AM: A full Seattle Fire Department response is starting to arrive at an address near 35th and Myrtle, and reporting that they see flames. They’re blocking all lanes of 35th at the scene.
(WSB photo)
4:16 AM: The fire is described as tapped/”knocked down” but there’s some concern about wires.
4:27 AM: Our crew is on scene and reports that while the address on the 911 log is that of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this fire was in a shed detached structure behind the house on 35th immediately *south* of the church. SFD’s investigator is on the way to try to find out what caused it. No injuries reported.
4:53 AM: SFD is still on scene mopping up. We’ll check back at the scene when it’s more fully light out.
4:59 AM: Top photo added, showing the burned structure engulfed in flames, taken by nearby resident who says, “Very thankful to neighbor who woke us up.”
5:35 AM: We just checked back at the scene. 35th SW is open again. SFD has a crew still on scene protecting against flareups, including putting more foam on a tree to which the flames were spreading before the fire was out.
In our photo, you can see the charred remains of the burned structure behind the chain-link fence. Neighbors say a car was damaged, too.
9:14 PM: A full house-fire response is headed for the 2600 block of SW Holden. First units to arrive are seeing “light smoke.” More to come.
9:19 PM: The response is being reduced – it’s a kitchen fire, announced as “food on the stove.”
4:15 PM: Seattle Fire is headed for an address in The Junction that cross-references to Husky Deli.
4:22 PM: We’re en route; scanner says “occupant” put out the fire, but SFD is checking to be sure everything’s safely extinguished.
4:33 PM: Added a photo, as SFD goes up on the building’s roof to do that checking. Some of the responding units already have been dismissed.
4:38 PM: Husky Deli owners tell us their coffee roaster overheated and that’s what led to the small, quickly extinguished fire.
No injuries, no major damage; right now they and SFD are continuing to check to ensure there are no hotspots before reopening the store.
6:23 PM: Yes, they are open and will be until tonight’s usual 9 pm.
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
3:44 PM: Seattle Fire is at a house in the 3400 block of 40th SW, where a resident is being treated for smoke inhalation after what firefighters tell WSB’s Christopher Boffoli was a “small oven fire.” More to come.
3:52 PM: A neighbor got the fire under control using the kitchen sprayer before firefighters arrive and helped the resident, SFD tells us, but it did generate “significant flames” before it was entirely extinguished. The resident was taken to a hospital via private ambulance.
9:31 PM: Big fire callout to the 9200 block of 16th SW (map) – but we’re hearing the first units to arrive reporting that the fire is tapped. More to come.
9:43 PM: We’ve just arrived in the area. 16th is mostly blocked at the scene, south of Barton, by SFD vehicles but what appears to be a civilian in a reflective vest is directing traffic so some is getting through.
9:45 PM: Our photographer’s been told it was a dryer fire – all out, no injuries, nobody evacuated, the fire crews will be leaving shortly.
Thanks to Jerry for sending the photo from a car fire about an hour ago on West Marginal Place just north of West Marginal Way SW, under the bridge and by the bicycle trail. We just talked with the car’s owners, as they await a tow truck; they said they were driving when suddenly the car started filling with smoke, so they got off the road (this area is a cul-de-sac), called for help, and got out safely before SFD arrived.
Back on Tuesday, thanks to a texted tip, we were able to report on the start of a Seattle Fire Department training operation that’s caught a lot of attention, practice fires at a house at 50th and Hudson. The operation has one more day to go. Today, SFD officially invited media for a closer look. We recorded some video:
We also have found out a little more about the trainees, officially Recruit Class 104:
Two are female, 19 are male. We asked about ages and hometowns; that information wasn’t available, said SFD spokesperson Corey Orvold, but they could tell us that all but one are from this state – the 21st is from Oregon. 12 of them are listed as having “previous fire experience.” One used to work with the TSA at Sea-Tac; one was a plumber; one, the information provided to us mentions, majored in cello performance.
P.S. In discussion following our earlier story, someone asked about the future plans for this corner once this house is demolished after the training sessions. An early-stage site plan in city files shows a “proposed house” set back a little further north on the site.
3:59 PM: Big response for a fire call at the commercial building at 5214 Delridge Way SW. More to come; we’re en route.
(Added: WSB photo)
4:12 PM: Sorry for the site slowness these past few minutes. Meantime, our crew has arrived. Firefighters found light smoke in the building and a “small heat signature on the roof” but were trying to track down the source. This building is home to the Daily Dose coffee shop and at least one other small business. No word of injuries. The response is scaling back but for now, Delridge is blocked between Brandon and Hudson.
4:16 PM: What happened seemed to be in the yoga/massage side of the building, something involving scented oils that could be smelled from outside the building. It’s out. Police are letting Metro through on Delridge but otherwise, it might be another 15 minutes or so before it’s clear enough that they can get other vehicles back onto the road.
5:21 PM: Just came back to check. SFD is gone; Delridge is fully open.
5:17 PM: A big Seattle Fire response is arriving at a possible house fire in Gatewood, in the 6700 block of 36th SW [map].
5:20 PM: Early arrivals have made the preliminary assessment – as monitored via scanner – that it’s a “small smoldering fire in the attic.”
5:22 PM: All but three SFD units are being dismissed. Those remaining on scene report “water on the fire.”
5:28 PM: Our crew has arrived and confirms that firefighters have extinguished the small fire in the attic, believed to be electrical in origin. No injuries reported.
9:45 AM: Thanks for the texted tip! Seattle Fire has a major training operation at a to-be-demolished house at 50th and Hudson [map] – house-fire practice for recruits – and will be there every day for the rest of the week. Nearby residents have been notified but this will catch the eyes of many passersby, because Hudson in that area leads to Jacobsen Road, which many drivers, walkers, runners, and riders take to get to and from Beach Drive, south of Me-Kwa-Mooks and Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook.
A hydrant is running for the training, and we’ve already received brown-water reports as a result. SFD says people are welcome to watch “from a safe distance”; while the trainees were being briefed, early spectators including a mom and toddler were watching from the south side of Hudson, and a firefighter came over to offer a sticker.
If you’re planning to use that route to and from Jacobsen, please slow down, multiple SFD vehicles are in the area for the training. We’ll be going back over for a closer look at what they’re doing, and will update. (We last covered this kind of trainee operation back in 2013 before the Beach Drive residential-building demolitions for the Murray CSO project.)
11:35 AM: When we went back, the first training fire was under way:
2:44 PM: Thanks for the text. Seattle Fire has sent a big dispatch to a possible house fire in High Point, in the 3200 block of 31st SW.
2:49 PM: Before we arrived, the call’s been closed, meaning the SFD units have all been sent back. So, nothing major.
4:47 PM: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli reports having caught the description via scanner before this call’s quick closeout: A small fire related to a bird’s nest in or around a chimney/heater outlet.
If you heard the sirens in the past quarter-hour or so – a “fire in single-family residence” response was sent to a house in the 10600 block of 34th SW [map]. It turned out to be on the porch of a vacant house, according to emergency-radio traffic, and a neighbor put it out, so most of the response has been dismissed.
2:38 PM: A large Seattle Fire response is in the 1400 block of SW Cambridge for a “fire in building” call. We’re en route to see what’s happening.
2:45 PM: The call’s just closed, meaning SFD has left the scene. If we find out anything about the original reason, we’ll add it.
(ADDED: WSB photos)
6:23 AM: A Seattle Fire response is arriving at 9421 18th SW, describing a small fire in a rug on a cabinet at this former church site which now houses the Hope Academy school and other facilities.
6:32 AM: The fire is reported to be under control; per scanner (our crew is almost there), firefighters are trying to determine whether its source was electrical.
6:38 AM: We’ve talked to SFD at the scene and they have confirmed it was an electrical fire, now out.
6:50 AM: The damage is minimal, we’re told, confined to a single outlet in the “main sanctuary” area, and shouldn’t affect use of the building. Fire crews are starting to leave.
(WSB photo, added 8:05 am)
FIRST REPORT, 7:17 AM: What started as an “illegal burn” call a few minutes after 7 is now upgraded to “fire in a building” at 4th and Roxbury. First crews on scene say it’s a “fully involved” car with flames spreading to the adjacent structure.
(Reader photo)
7:25 AM: The photo is via a texter who says this is not having a major effect on traffic so far.
7:31 AM: The fire is reported to be under control. No injuries – firefighters confirm everyone got out OK.
7:37 AM: We’ve just arrived in the area. This is in the residential area off the westbound side of Roxbury/Olson – more like 4th/Cambridge as shown on this map. There are a few SFD vehicles in the outside uphill lane at the curve.
8:03 AM: A closeup look (photo just added atop story) shows the fire spread from the car to the back of the house.
8:21 AM: Firefighters are wrapping up now; the fire’s cause remains under investigation, but SFD tells us that nobody knows whose car it is – it was parked behind the garage but does not belong to anyone in the area, so far as they’ve found.
WEDNESDAY EVENING NOTE: We’re still waiting to hear back from SFD on how the fire started and how much damage was done.
10:14 AM: Seattle Fire has sent a full response to a possible house fire in The Arroyos, in the 4100 block of Arroyo Drive [map]. The first engines to arrive at the house are not seeing signs of smoke or fire so far. More to come.
10:19 AM: Per scanner, it was a small fire, already out, but they’re still doublechecking. Meantime, many of the units are being dismissed.
10:33 AM: Engine 37 (photo added above) is the last one here and wrapping up to leave.
4:03 PM: Big Seattle Fire callout is heading to a possible house fire in High Point, 5900 block 34th SW.
4:11 PM: We’re at the scene. No flames visible, a little smoke. Firefighters were up on the roof to investigate.
4:22 PM: No injuries. Heating system problem suspected.
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