Anybody up late, we are hearing the sirens here – two miles away – and seeing the online 911 for a big fire callout at Cali/Genesee. If you’re closer, let us know what you see. We’re not sure how close we’ll be able to get.
Very close to the cathedral on Oregon and 36th. Appears considerably better than thirty minutes ago when I could see flames. Still more sirens approaching.
big 2 alarm fire at California Av Sw / Sw Genesee St Building under consturtion fully on fire
looks like it was the condos going up there. I was coming from gatewood and could see the flames from there on cali.
Just watched huge 2-story flames and a tall blackened structure collapsing (!) within before the fire was finally put out. I was at the Junction and couldn’t tell which building it was…yikes. Never seen anything like that.
1:38 AM 8/17/2007
the fire….
I was walking home from the matador where I had just left Jenny, mike, erika, and corey her
boyfriend. Ryan had left 20 min prior. We finished our drinks and food and left. jenny
offered me a ride but I declined saying that I wanted to ‘walk off the booze’ which wasn’t
very much but I enjoy the walk home. I’m walking home and I come to this new construction
that’s been going on for a while. I notice a flame coming out the top, my first impression
is that it’s just smoke coming out of a chimney, the next thought I’m having is that it’s
fire. instantly I’m on the phone to 911. I drop my backpack and start running around the
buildings that are next to the place that’s on fire. within minutes I’m feeling the heat.
it’s so intense that I can barely stand it. the hair on my arms and legs is burnging and I
can feel my flesh start to cook. I dont care. all I can think about is the people who might
still be trapped in the buildings surrounding the one on fire. By this time only 5 min after
noticing the first lick of flame this entire 3 story building is on fire and the buildings
next to it are also on fire. I run around to every window and door I can find and start
breaking banging, knocking, kicking down doors to find anyone who might still be sleeping. I
wake a few people up and they are very disturbed. There was a lady laying in bed and a guy,
I wasn’t really paying attention I was simply focused on getting EVERYONE that I could find
outside.
I ran around the back of the building only to find the flames unbearable, so i ran next
door, people still aren’t around and I can still only barely hear the firetrucks in the
background (response time… 3 min). I run to the top floor of this apartment building and
kick the door in and run in screaming that the building is on fire and that everyone needs
to evacuate. Then I run downstairs and kick in another door only to find the entire
apartment empty. By this time I can barely walk out the door I’ve just entered, the flames
(which are nearly 20ft away are literally melting the windows and charring the wood of the
handrails i’m holding onto) by this time I walk away from the flame and I realize the
firemen are here just then I get smacked in the face by a VERY powerful blast of water which
was shot from the street over the building and straight onto me. I’m drenched. hairless and
PUMPED. I continue to run around the whole block which at the time looked very surreal. The
sky and surrounding air was almost pitch black with smoke and the embers from the fire were
floating through the air like a million glowing snowflakes. Falling on my face neck and arms
burning. I didn’t care. all I could think about was the people who couldn’t make it out.
Right about this time, I noticed a man who ran up to me and asked if I had seen his wife. I
told him I hadn’t and asked what she looked like. He gave me a descrip and I ran right back
into the blazed area to look for her, wearing only shorts and sandals and dripping from head
to toe. I could see his panic, the fear in his eyes. I felt it so suddenly and strongly I
knew I had to help him find his wife. I went back to every apartment (that wasn’t already
completely engulfed and called for anyone). I looked and looked for 10 min I looked, seeing
him occasionaly to ask if he’d found her… the last time I asked he gave me a sad look as
though to say she was gone. I can’t help but think that if I had tried harder, not worried
so much about the fire and more about helping this man find his wife she would have made it
out. I couldn’t find her and neither could he. I kept looking, running around helping
neighbors douse their houses with water so they woudln’t catch on fire. literally it was
raining red-hot embers for a block radius. when I had done all I could and I was sure and
the firemen were sure everyone was out of the building I finally decided to go home. I was
walking on the other side of the street at least 100ft away from the building that was on
fire and I could feel the flames. I could feel them start to singe my hair, and to think I
was only a few feet away from these flames only a few minutes ago. The water which I had
recently been doused with was actually steaming off of my skin and clothes. I coudln’t
believe it.
That’s when I started to cry. I couldn’t believe that this had just happened to me. I
couldn’t believe that I coudln’t find this guys wife. I felt so helpless. I felt like there
was nothing I could do. nothing I could do. So I called my mom. of course what else would I
do.
All I know is that I was the first to call, the first to help people, and the first to
leave. I wish I could have stayed around longer but the firemen told me to leave. I didn’t
want to be a burden on the EMTs just because of a little smoke inhalation. I’m still
coughing, I can’t get it under control. plus my body is covered in little burns and alot of
my hair is gone. well my head hair is fine, but my right eyebrow is almost gone and my
goatee is burned alot. i’m home now, writing this only 45min after.
I’m ok. I just thought the story of the west seattle fire should be told.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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