(cameraphone photo added 11:23 pm)
ORIGINAL 11:10 PM REPORT: We’re on our way to check out the fire in building call at California/Juneau. According to the scanner, California’s about to be closed in both directions there (map).
11:15 PM: In comments, Colleen says it’s the minimart building at the southwest corner of California/Juneau. Police are closing traffic a block north and a block south of that intersection. Update – co-publisher Patrick is there now and confirms that’s the building, lots of smoke. Photo in a moment. Raining heavily, by the way.
11:21 PM: From the scene – Fire Department is focused on the second floor and has just busted through a door. According to scanner, they’re sending a public-info officer out (which is just mostly an acknowledgment it’s a big deal and there’s media interest). There are also traffic closures on side streets, so stay FAR away from that area.
11:23 PM: Via scanner, firefighters report “tapped fire on 2nd floor” – that doesn’t mean OUT but it’s progress. Update from Patrick: They’ve also busted in through the Ho-Win next door to the mini-mart. Less smoke coming through the roof. (We’ve just added a cameraphone photo.) Scanner confirms crews had to make “forced entry” to both the store and the restaurant.
11:28 PM: Scanner confirms fire was largely centered on the building’s residential second floor, “with some extension into the attic. No word of any injuries at this point. But more engines are being called in.
11:32 PM: From the scene – the smoke has largely subsided. From the scanner – no sign of fire in the attic. Also from the scene – there’s a medic unit there but no sign that they are using it for anyone, which is a good sign of no injuries, so far.
11:39 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Evan for this photo:
They’ve just dismissed a couple of units from the scene, so this is beginning to wind down a little bit. (The rain’s subsiding too.)
11:58 PM UPDATE: Police are going to open up NORTHBOUND traffic on California through the fire scene “in about 15-20 minutes” per the scanner. Meantime, we’re still on the scene monitoring things to see if there’s any new info about how this started. We of course also will be finding out what we can about how market and restaurant operations in the building will be affected.
12:05 AM: From the incident commander at the scene: 2 people in the apartment, both OK. Officially no injuries in the fire, period. Apartment’s extensively damaged, but no word yet on fire cause.
12:34 AM: Uploading some video. This is from the wind-down phase, as one set of firefighters were up on a ladder on the north side of the building, and another team took a ladder over toward Ho-Win to set it up:
12:47 AM: This clip starts with smoke pouring from the north side of the second story, then focuses on the firefighters trying to get into Juneau Street Market:
1:00 AM: We’re not expecting to get information on the fire’s cause till later today, but will keep checking and will publish it here when that info’s available. Meantime, one more photo to share, this one from Colleen, who provided important eyewitness information via comments – just an interesting sight; note all the reflective stripes from some of the many firefighters who rushed to the scene:
Some of the firefighters from this incident had to rush right off to a call on Harbor Island – a 38-year-old man was pulled out of the water near Todd Shipyard; no official word at this hour why he was in the water (scanner talk suggests a crime investigation of some sort was under way at the scene too), but it was a big rescue callout for a while including units from this side of the bridge. (He’s on the way to the hospital right now; per the scanner, he was in the water for about 20 minutes, and seems to be OK aside from “shivering violently.”)
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