Update: Fire briefly closes California at Findlay

Fire on Findlay just west of California. Your editor here happened to be on the 22 headed back to Summer Fest when Engine 37 and Medic 32 screamed past – and stopped right in front of the bus, at Findlay. Smoke was visible coming from the lower floor of an apartment building on Findlay just west of California. The bus was blocked, so we got out; talked to the passer-by who first called 911 – she said she was walking back from Summer Fest when she saw the smoke and flames from a dumpster on the street (carport) level of the building. Firefighters got it out quickly; California is now open again (we got back on the 22 a few minutes and a few blocks later). Cameraphone photo to come. 4:36 PM UPDATE: Just added our cameraphone photo – and we’re adding another below – thanks to West Seattle’s State Sen. Joe McDermott, who also found himself at the fire scene as he was heading north on California – he’ll be here at Summer Fest in the 34th District Democrats‘ booth for the next few hours, and when he stopped here at the Info Booth, we found ourselves comparing notes on the fire:

ADDED 8:40 PM: Thanks to Adam for this pic:

Kathy July 12, 2008 (5:13 pm)

After hearing all the sirens, I love how I could go to WSB and find out why. I’m glad it wasn’t so serious – the number of sirens made it sound like a disaster. Thanks to WSB for the great addition they’ve brought to West Seattle!

WW July 13, 2008 (10:26 am)

Indeed! You can also go to http://www2.cityofseattle.net/fire/realTime911/getDatePubTab.asp to see Seattle Fire Dept 911 Dispatch calls

WSB July 13, 2008 (11:06 am)

Thanks; reminds me it’s time to add a sidebar permalink to that site – we link it in posts frequently and we know many people have learned about it here (we wouldn’t have known if not for our previous old-media work) – but unfortunately all it says is “fire in a building” or “aid call” or one of several other basic predetermined classifications. And even if you subsequently turn on a scanner, if you miss the followup traffic from the crew on the scene, it’s hard to tell what happened unless it’s a humongous major incident and the airwaves are simply crackling. So, we usually just roll on out to check it out and report back if warranted. In this case, it was surreal to find ourselves having been unintentionally delivered almost to the front door of the incident, as it happened, by a bus! (Although the driver couldn’t let me out for a few minutes – he was on the phone getting detour orders from Metro HQ!)

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