Update: Vacant building burns in South Park, smoke seen for miles

| South Park | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL 3:02 PM REPORT: We’ve gotten a few notes about a big smoke plume to the east. It’s a house fire in South Park. We’re here – it’s right by the ex-bridge. The house appears to have been boarded up. Debris burning nearby produced much of the smoke. 3:42 PM UPDATE: Adding a photo. Firefighters confirm the building was vacant, though they’re not sure now whether it was a garage or storage building. Investigators were en route when we left South Park a short time ago; they’ll figure out how the fire started. No injuries. 4:59 PM UPDATE: Adding video from as close as photographers were allowed:

We also noted the presence of Engine 11 from Highland Park:

During many of the meetings we covered before the South Park Bridge’s shutdown a month ago, the issue of police and fire response came up – backup units can’t come from the east side of the river any more, and there was discussion that they’d be more reliant on units from West Seattle, like E-11. Meantime, no word yet on this fire’s cause. MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: Dana Vander Houwen with Seattle Fire Department says damage is estimated at $2,000, but the fire’s cause is “undetermined.”

datamuse July 25, 2010 (3:44 pm)

I saw the smoke from my back deck…Real Time 911 showed 15 units responding. Jeepers!

WSB July 25, 2010 (4:01 pm)

There’s a standard number for “fire in single-family residence” dispatches – also of note, in all the South Park Bridge closure plan meetings we covered before the actual closure, there was much talk about how they would dispatch help from West Seattle more often now – and indeed, Engine 11 from Highland Park was at the end of the block, pumping water … we’ll be adding a photo. If not for the fact the bridge was already out of service, this likely would have created a traffic tangle in the area, since the major contingent of fire units set up right by the entrance to the road that parallels the river on the bridge’s west side. Which is the path of the future bridge, we were told at one news conference I covered … I’m wondering if the house was part of the right-of-way acquisitions that have already been made for that – TR

Manolita July 26, 2010 (8:36 am)

I saw the smoke all the way from Gene Coulon park in Renton!

Justin July 26, 2010 (1:31 pm)

That was a boat shed at the South Park boat yard.
My shed was next to that one.
We were evicted by the city in June,the sheds were empty and the electrical was disconected.

WSB July 26, 2010 (1:45 pm)

Thanks – I saw something to that effect on the SP mailing list but we lurk there with permission and I don’t quote it without checking first with those who post. In the right of way for the new bridge, correct?