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Update: Car flips after hitting parked vehicles, driver OK
July 19, 2011 11:22 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

11:22 PM: Delridge is closed southbound in the 5900 block after a car hit parked cars and flipped. No major injuries reported.

11:48 PM: Added a photo. Neighbors say the parked car next to which the flipped car is seen is one of two cars it hit.

12:10 AM: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli talked to police; the driver did not have to be taken to the hospital. Police wouldn’t elaborate on the circumstances of the crash but were seen giving the driver a citation. Here’s what the car looked like after a tow truck righted it:

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)

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Update: Police search after two men stabbed in North Admiral
July 16, 2011 11:36 pm
|      66 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli; this one substituted at 1:06 am for original same-angle cameraphone photo)
11:36 PM: Police and fire are rushing to California/Donald in North Admiral (map), in the Hamilton Viewpoint Park area. The report is of two people stabbed, both male, one about 30, one about 50. Both are being rushed to Harborview Medical Center. There’s no suspect description but they might be on foot, according to the scanner. We have crews on the way to the scene.

11:48 PM UPDATE: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli has just arrived. Adding his cameraphone photo of the two medic units, M-32 and M-10, that are taking the stabbing victims to Harborview. Also note that the north end of California SW is blocked off starting at SW Atlantic.

11:58 PM UPDATE: Witnesses tell Christopher that they heard a commotion in the park and saw a group of people walking up California – the stabbing, he was told, happened midway up the block, outside the park, between SW Donald and SW Atlantic. The two medic units are now about to leave for the hospital.

12:16 AM UPDATE: Police tell Christopher at the scene that this is what they are learning so far: They believe the victims are transients who reside in Hamilton Viewpoint Park. They were confronted by a group of as many as 8 people, described as Hispanic men and women. An argument erupted into violence. One of the transients did not initially realize he had been stabbed. One of the victims (apparently the younger one) is in critical condition. Police have not found any weapons yet, nor do they have additional leads yet.

12:28 AM UPDATE: California has reopened to traffic, reports Christopher, but the west side of the street is “cordoned off.” He has been told one victim was stabbed in the side, the other in upper back/shoulder area.

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Update: Shooting in Arbor Heights sends man to hospital
July 16, 2011 5:24 pm
|      40 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(8:23 PM TOPLINE: 1 man shot, not life-threatening, no arrests so far, new details just added from police)

5:24 PM: We’re at SW 97th and 33rd SW in Arbor Heights (map), where a shooting was reported in the 9700 block of 33rd a short time ago. Police are said to be looking for a male suspect who got away in a red vehicle – update, a maroon Bronco. Officers are searching for evidence and talking to possible witnesses.

They believe the victim and suspect may know each other. Scanner traffic indicates the victim was shot once, 40-caliber bullet, through the hip area.

ADDED 5:56 PM: Gang unit detectives are here, though that doesn’t always mean gang activity is suspected – and some of them already have left. Lt. Von Levandowski from the Southwest Precinct has just provided more information: The victim is a man, shot while standing on the sidewalk, with shots fired by somebody in a vehicle. They now think three people were in that vehicle, which they describe as a maroon SUV (not necessarily a Bronco). Investigators have been combing the block for shell casings, trying to determine exactly which direction the shot was fired from.

6:26 PM: Nothing new. SPD media-response Det. Mark Jamieson is expected to brief media at the scene shortly.

7:06 PM: Det. Jamieson was diverted elsewhere before arriving, but via Twitter, reports that the victim and suspect did know each other, that the victim’s injury is not life-threatening, and that “gang detectives are investigating.”

8:23 PM: New information from police via SPD Blotter:

On July 16th, at about 5:10 PM, Southwest Precinct officers responded to the 9700 Block of 33 Avenue Southwest on a report of a shooting. An adult male who had apparently befriended the suspects the night before, met the suspects, described as two black men and a white female, outside of a residence where he was planning on purchasing some items from one of the suspects. As the victim reached for his wallet, one of the suspects pulled out a gun. There was a struggle over the weapon, and the victim was shot once in the buttocks. The suspects fled in a maroon Ford Bronco. Police and Seattle Fire responded to the scene and SFD transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center. The injury is not considered life-threatening.

Gang detectives also responded and are following up on potential leads. This remains an active and ongoing investigation.

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Police investigate explosion-type noise in Junction area
July 16, 2011 12:02 am
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

12:02 AM: We’re receiving multiple reports of a very loud explosion-type sound in the Junction vicinity. “With car alarms,” according to @macjustice via Twitter. Fire crews are going were briefly sent to California/Edmunds to investigate – but can’t find anything and are being canceled. Police were checking too.

(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 12:53 am)
12:29 AM: Via the WSB Facebook page, one area resident reports being told by police that whatever exploded, was set off in a dumpster by the Chase drive-through. There also are reports of a few more booms a few minutes ago, possibly in the Jefferson Square Safeway vicinity, per FB discussion.

1:27 AM NOTE: Things seem to have quieted now – no further news on this.

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Update: Crash closes West Marginal, injures 1; dog on loose found
July 12, 2011 6:20 pm
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | WS breaking news

(Photo by Patrick Sand for WSB)
6:20 PM: A “heavy rescue” call at West Marginal Way SW/SW Dakota (map) is for what scanner traffic describes as a flipped car, with at least one person seriously hurt (described as a man, about 20). More when we get to the scene; avoid the area TFN.

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
6:41 PM: That section of West Marginal Way will likely be closed a few hours. Since the victim is seriously injured, the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is being called out, according to what police tell us on the scene. One more thing: They say a German Shepherd was in the car with the victim, and got out after the collision. The dog was last seen going south on West Marginal Way. If you see one or capture it – please contact police! It’s described as male, short-haired, with a collar and tag.

9:44 PM: We still don’t have any word on whether the dog was found. Nor do we know how the victim is doing – but we are adding a photo shared by A. Bocchetti, showing the Seattle Fire crews working to take care of the victim after the crash:

We haven’t heard whether West Marginal has reopened, but we’ll go check in a little while.

1 AM UPDATE: West Marginal is open again, but the search for the crash victim’s dog continues. Sarah, who e-mailed a photo you can see on the WSB Pets page, says they have not been able to get close enough to capture the dog, whose name is Cooper. “Please urge neighbors to keep alert,” she says. She also says the injured driver is in stable condition.

7:55 AM: Cooper was found overnight, according to another note from Sarah.

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Update: Fire in 3100 block SW Kenyon, no injuries reported
July 9, 2011 12:12 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
12:12 PM: We’re on our way to Sunrise Heights, where the first crews on scene report light smoke coming from the upper level of a home in the 3100 block of SW Kenyon (map). More to come.

12:32 PM: Christopher Boffoli is on the scene for WSB. He reports, “Some smoke, but looks like they’ve got it tapped.” Investigators have been dispatched.

12:41 PM: Update from Christopher: “It was a small fire on the second floor (residential house) in a bedroom. No one at home, though they are still conducting a secondary search. No victims and no firefighter injuries. Fire is now tapped. Too early to speculate on the cause.”

6:11 PM: From SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore: “It was accidental and started in a second floor sewing room at the edge of a bed. The house was secure. The homeowner left 24 hours before the fire started to go on vacation. When firefighters arrived we had to use tools to get inside. The damage estimates are $50,000 to the structure and $25,000 to the contents.”

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Update: West Seattle house fire on Roxbury ‘accidental’
July 5, 2011 1:39 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

1:39 AM: We’re on our way to the house-fire call at 30th and Roxbury – more as we get it.

1:46 AM UPDATE: Roxbury is being blocked off. The fire address has been updated to 32nd and Roxbury (map). Per scanner traffic, firefighters say they have it under control. We’ll be at the scene shortly.

1:55 AM UPDATE: At the scene. No flames visible. No report of injuries. The house is on the south side of Roxbury, closer to 31st than 32nd. Investigators are being called out right now. Again, Roxbury is closed to traffic, since this is right on the corner, with the roadblock starting just east of 35th.

2:04 AM UPDATE: Firefighters confirm nobody was hurt – nobody was home. They don’t know the cause yet, since the investigation is just starting, but they say there’s significant damage inside the house, so it’s uninhabitable at this point.

4:05 AM UPDATE: SFD has published an update on Fire Line, saying they’ve determined the fire was “accidental” – though aside from saying it started “in a couch,” they don’t say how (we’ll check later this morning). Damage is estimated at $61,000; the house is now described as “vacant.”

ADDED TUESDAY AFTERNOON: SFD’s Kyle Moore says “smoking materials” were what ignited the couch, and adds that Seattle Police are investigating.

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Update: Marine View Drive fire blamed on ‘smoking materials’
July 4, 2011 3:36 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(UPDATED MONDAY NIGHT with fire cause – scroll down)

3:36 PM: Fire crews are rushing to the 10100 block of Marine View Drive (map) for a reported house fire. Two people may be hurt, according to scanner traffic.

3:45 PM: At the scene. Needless to say, Marine View Drive is blocked:

The fire is reported to be under control, according to the scanner. No flames currently from our vantage point at the scene.

4 PM: There were two medic units at scene; one has taken a male patient to Harborview Medical Center for smoke inhalation, according to scanner traffic. Our crew at the scene says a private ambulance has arrived for a woman who was able to walk to it under her own power. A Seattle Fire Department public-information officer is being dispatched to the scene, so we’ll have official details before long. Meantime, smoke is no longer coming from the house (we don’t have a clear shot of it yet as police/fire crews are keeping people, media included, way back).

4:20 PM: The public-info officer was canceled; we’ve talked to an on-scene commander, who confirms the people who were hurt are the residents of the home, and both suffered from smoke inhalation. Their grandson was also in the house but was unhurt. The fire is out; investigators have just arrived, so there’s no word yet what caused it, but they say it was on the house’s “wine-cellar level.”

4:42 PM: We’ll be checking shortly to see if Marine View Drive has reopened. Meantime, adding a couple photos. Immediately above this update – since the house was at the end of a fairly long driveway, firefighters had a challenge to string hoses to the scene from the nearest hydrant. At the top of the story, the photo shows the house being aired out with fire crews’ heavy-duty fans once the fire was confirmed out.

5:08 PM: Per announcement heard on the scanner, Marine View Drive is now fully reopened to traffic.

ADDED 9:51 PM: Seattle Fire investigators say the fire was accidental. From the update on their Fire Line website:

… After interviewing the occupants and examining the scene, investigators concluded discarded smoking material on cardboard was to blame for the fire which began in the basement wine cellar. …

Damage is estimated at $70,000.

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West Seattle traffic alert: Car hits pole, Sylvan Way blocked
July 2, 2011 10:33 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Photo added 11:30 pm)
10:33 PM: A crash has brought down a pole and wires at Delridge/Sylvan (map), so police are blocking Sylvan at Holly. A medic unit’s now being called.

11:15 PM: The crash is nowhere near Delridge – it’s along the greenbelt area of Sylvan, halfway between Forest Lawn (WSB sponsor), where police have a roadblock on the north side, and the Vietnamese Cultural Center across from Home Depot, where the south roadblock is. So the Delridge-to-35th route through High Point is cut off till City Light finishes repairs. Police said some power was out as a result of the crash, though nothing’s showing on the City Light map; some of the street lights did appear out as we hiked in. The crashed car itself is off the road, so the roadblock is purely for safety reasons.

ADDED SUNDAY AFTERNOON: While Ken noted in comments that the road was still blocked at 8 am, we drove through at noon, so it’s clear now.

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West Seattle traffic alert: Delridge/Trenton crash
June 28, 2011 2:24 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

Southbound Delridge is blocked at Trenton right now by a crash that appears to have involved three vehicles. As our photo shows, one of them wound up on the sidewalk. An ambulance has been called for one person. No other information on circumstances, but avoid the area for a while.

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Update: Flipped car in Seaview, driver taken to hospital
June 24, 2011 11:55 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Seaview | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Photos and video by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
11:55 PM: We’re on our way to the 6400 block of 48th SW (map), where fire crews have just arrived at the scene of a “heavy rescue” call and are reporting a car has flipped.

12:09 AM: One person was pulled out of the car, a woman described on the scanner as alert and conscious.

12:19 AM: Tow truck just arrived at the scene, so 48th should be clear before too long. The driver was taken by Medic 32 to Harborview Medical Center. The Saturn sedan she was driving had flipped right in front of the bus stop on the west side of 48th, just at the top of the hill down toward Lowman Beach. A lieutenant at the scene tells WSB’s Christopher Boffoli that the driver’s injuries are not life-threatening. Police also say they suspect alcohol might have been involved.

12:44 AM: 48th SW has reopened to traffic.

2:07 AM: Added Christopher’s video of the car being turned right-side-up by the tow crew.

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West Seattle traffic alert: Bus crash in The Triangle
June 21, 2011 7:48 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

Thanks to Sharonn for the photo from 37th/Alaska, where a Route 54 bus was involved in a crash. Not major, but as you can see from the ambulance in the photo, at least one person was hurt, and eastbound Alaska (by the VFW and Legion halls) will be difficult to get around until the scene is clear.

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Traffic alert update: Lots of crashes – be careful!
June 18, 2011 1:45 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

1:45 PM: We mentioned this earlier only on Facebook and Twitter because it looked like it would clear fairly fast, but apparently it hasn’t cleared yet: Avoid Fauntleroy end of eastbound bridge, there’s a crash parallel with Nucor.

2 PM: We passed the aforementioned scene on both sides of a quick run downtown. It should be clear shortly – a tow truck was getting the last of the vehicles at about 1:50 pm. (We don’t have any information on circumstances or injuries, though.)

We also have seen two apparent spinouts today on the southbound 99 offramp to the westbound West Seattle Bridge – this one at about 1:46 pm hadn’t even drawn police yet:

There’s also been a crash in West Seattle, 42nd/Findlay, this past half-hour, and Christopher Boffoli checked it out – stand by for more on that.

2:33 PM: From Christopher:

He says private ambulances were on hand, with at least two people expected to go to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. We don’t have the official word yet on citations but it appeared that the southbound car had a yield sign but failed to yield, he says, adding: “It took SFD a bit of time to extract the passenger in the gold van as the door on that side was deformed by the crash.”

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Another car-hits-house crash; no serious injuries
June 9, 2011 8:16 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

If you’re in or around Highland Park, you might have heard/seen the response to this about an hour ago – what was briefly a “heavy rescue” call in the 1700 block of SW Holden (just a block west of Fire Station 11). We don’t have many details, but apparently this car collided with a second one (which was visible nearby and did not appear seriously damaged), went through a fence and into the stoop/front corner of a house. This was the second car-hits-house crash in West Seattle in a week; we covered one at 34th/Trenton last Thursday afternoon. SFD spokesperson Lt. Sue Stangl says their medic units were not used to transport anyone, but isn’t sure if a private ambulance might have been called. 9:27 AM: Just talked with SPD, but the report’s still being written, so we don’t know the circumstances, or whether anyone was cited. We’ll check back later.

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Update: Fire in West Seattle fourplex blamed on candle
June 7, 2011 5:03 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Video substituted 6:10 am for original photo)
5:03 AM UPDATE: Fire crews are at a multiplex building in the 5000 block of 38th SW (map). They report the fire is tapped. Neighbors who e-mailed us report lots of smoke. We are on our way to find out more.

(Photo added 5:44 am)
5:19 AM UPDATE: On scene. Still very smoky. No injuries; a medic unit has just been cleared from the scene, as have some of the engines originally dispatched. Investigators also tell us it’s a fourplex, and the fire was in one of the rear units. They say one man was home in that unit when the fire started, and got out safely. They’re working to figure out the cause.

10:11 AM UPDATE: Just checked back with SFD. Spokesperson Kyle Moore says investigators are calling the fire accidental – caused by an “unattended candle.” Damage totaled $75,000, and the Red Cross is helping residents who aren’t able to go back into their apartments right now because of the fire and its aftermath.

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West Seattle traffic alert update: 35th SW crash scene clear
May 31, 2011 12:12 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

12:12 PM: A crash at 35th/Henderson has police diverting traffic north of the scene, at SW Trenton, and south at Barton. More details to come.

12:19 PM UPDATE: Added a photo. No information so far on the circumstances of the crash, but as the picture shows, two cars were involved. The private ambulance was there to take one person to the hospital. It and the fire truck have just cleared, according to our crew on the scene, but you’ll want to avoid the area a while longer, till debris can be cleaned up, and vehicles towed if needed.

1:03 PM: Went back over to verify – the scene is all clear, traffic back to normal.

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Traffic alert: ‘Heavy rescue’ on southbound 99 at West Seattle Bridge exit
May 25, 2011 8:33 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Photo by Shari, via Twitter)
8:33 PM: We don’t know a lot about the circumstances yet, but there’s a “heavy rescue” callout on southbound 99 at the West Seattle Bridge exit; one caller tells us a car has “one wheel over the edge.” (And now we’re getting photos via Twitter too – just added one above – thanks to Shari and Judy for sharing theirs.) For now, if you happen to be in or north of downtown, you’ll want to find an alternate route back to WS. No information yet on injuries.

8:57 PM UPDATE: The Fire Department has cleared the scene, according to the 911 log, but still no official info yet. In comments, “Mn” says it appeared the driver was OK and talking with authorities.

9:35 PM UPDATE: Just drove The Bridge/99 downtown and back, and the scene is clear, everything moving normally.

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Bicycle-car crash at 35th and Barton, no serious injuries
May 25, 2011 4:04 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

The scene’s clearing, but in case you passed by and wondered – the police/fire response at 35th and Barton (map) this past hour was for a bicycle-car collision. Police were still sorting out how it happened but told us that no one was hurt badly enough to be taken to the hospital. It happened on the northwest side of the intersection.

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Update: Man stabbed in Arbor Heights, taken to hospital
May 21, 2011 1:59 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

ORIGINAL 1:59 AM REPORT: Police and medics are at the scene of a stabbing in the vicinity of 37th and 99th (map). According to scanner traffic, the victim is a 25-year-old stabbed in the abdomen and face with a “kitchen knife.” He’s being rushed to Harborview Medical Center.

2:17 AM UPDATE: At the scene, police tell us they are questioning a suspect. Adding a photo. No information on the circumstances yet, but we’ll be checking back.

1:08 PM UPDATE: Details on the circumstances, just obtained from Lt. Ron Smith of the Southwest Precinct: He says the incident started with an “ex-boyfriend forcing his way into the residence.” That man, he says, attacked his ex-girlfriend and another woman – until “another male in the residence … stabbed the (domestic-violence) suspect in an effort to stop the assault.”

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Fauntleroy crash: Close call for 2 drivers, and a shop
May 19, 2011 10:59 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

In case you passed by and wondered what happened – not a major crash but certainly an unusual sight: In the past half-hour, WSB contributor Katie Meyer checked out this crash outside the pawn shop at Fauntleroy/Edmunds. As the top photo shows, close call for the store. Katie reports neither driver was hurt; too soon to say how they wound up in this side-by-side crash formation. Tow trucks were on the way.

(Disclosure: We have blurred the license plates in the top photo.)

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Update: Pedestrian hit, injured at 35th and Morgan
May 18, 2011 5:06 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

5:06 PM: Thanks to Adam and Courtney for the tips on a car/pedestrian crash at 35th/Morgan about half an hour ago. We got there fairly quickly, but the scene was already cleared – Adam says the northbound lanes were blocked at one point – and the police cars in our photo were the only evidence left. Police confirm one person was hit by a car and injured. The victim was taken to a hospital by private ambulance, indicating the injuries weren’t major, but that’s all we know at this point – they were still talking to people to try to figure out what happened; we’ll check back later. 5:40 PM: A few more details from Bill, who says word is that the car was headed westbound on Morgan, turning onto southbound 35th, when the pedestrian was hit.

ADDED EARLY THURSDAY: According to Lt. Alan Williams from the Southwest Precinct, the driver, a 63-year-old man, was cited for “right of way at a crosswalk.” The person he hit is a 38-year-old woman who suffered “non-life-threatening injuries.”

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Update: Rollover crash northwest of The Junction, no injuries
May 16, 2011 1:43 pm
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
1:43 PM: On our way to a “heavy rescue” call north of The Junction, at 46th/Dakota.

1:57 PM UPDATE: It’s a one-vehicle rollover crash. Police are still trying to figure out how it rolled – but nobody is seriously hurt, so no medics were sent, and most of the “heavy rescue” response was canceled fairly quickly when it was determined they didn’t have to cut anyone out of the vehicle.

2:02 PM UPDATE: New information, and photo added. The overturned Jeep SUV collided with another vehicle at the nearby intersection; the other car lost a bumper, while this one flipped.

ADDED 2:39 PM: Two new photos, by WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli – one is atop the story, substituted for the original cameraphone photo; the other, showing the car that didn’t flip, is atop this line.

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Update: Fire in a dryer briefly leads to major callout
May 4, 2011 6:55 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

6:55 PM: The big response is en route to the 4600 block of SW Alaska (map), reported house fire. Will know more about the size as soon as we get there. 7:04 PM: There now. Only a small SFD contingent still there, smell of smoke but no smoke or fire visible, so not a huge incident. Still working on more info. 7:09 PM: Talked to the incident commander. Fire was contained to the dryer. The callout was briefly upgraded to “full response” for a house fire because at one point there was so much smoke, it looked bigger – but upon arrival they determined it was contained to the dryer, and it’s out now.

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