Update: Six escape Westwood house fire; electrical cord blamed
(First two photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
7:45 PM: House-fire call (35th and Cloverdale) drawing the big response right now. More to come.
8 PM: 35th is closed both ways at the fire scene in the 8600 block of 35th SW. Smoke is visible.
8:05 PM: Additional medics were dispatched to the scene; WSB’s Patrick Sand is there and tells us medics can be seen checking out one person so far.
8:10 PM: Medics now checking out two people and trying to determine how many people were in the house. Neighbors tell us it is occupied by “many.” Other neighbors say it was converted to a triplex a while back.
(This photo and next one are by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
8:21 PM: Our crew got an update at the scene. Six people in the house; two were checked out but are not expected to need to be taken to the hospital. The fire is believed to have originated in the basement, though the cause hasn’t been sorted out yet – that’s where the smoke was coming from. 35th SW remains closed from Thistle to Trenton but should be open within an hour or so, authorities believe.
9 PM: Adding photos (including one to replace our original cameraphone picture). Two bearded dragons were rescued from the house, according to this comment from Glenda, who says they and their person need a little help:
The house that burned on 35th & Cloverdale was the home of 2 Bearded Dragons (1 Male / 1 female). Their person got them out, but their set-up is inside & they aren’t allowed to go in for it. If anyone out there has a couple of old glass aquariums & a couple of heat lamps to get them through the night it would be very much appreciated. I’ll watch for responses and give directions.
The Red Cross also has been called in to help the fire victims, according to SFD.
9:12 PM: Southbound 35th SW is opening, per the scanner. Northbound will remain closed TFN.
11:16 PM: Drove by a short time ago to check – 35th is now fully open, and the fire scene is clear. SFD, meantime, has tweeted the fire’s cause: “West Seattle triplex basement fire caused by overheated electrical cord. Damage estimate is $125k to structure, $25k to contents.”
Food Lifeline discusses West Seattle plan: Rotary today, Highland Park Action Committee tomorrow
The photo is courtesy of the Rotary Club of West Seattle, which heard today from Linda Nageotte, CEO of Food Lifeline, regarding its proposal for a new facility on the site that currently houses the encampment that calls itself Nickelsville, but primarily about the organization’s main job, as Rotary publicity chair Dave Nichols notes:
She talked about all the great things Food Lifeline conducts to help people who need help. A couple of facts that stuck out:
*97 cents of every dollar is spent on feeding people
*1 in 4 children in our community is at risk of being hungry
For an update on the Nickelsville-site plan, join the Highland Park Action Committee at its meeting tomorrow night. As the closest community council to the encampment, they’ve discussed it more than a few times, and will hear from Food Lifeline tomorrow (Wednesday) night. The meeting’s at 7 pm, Highland Park Improvement Club HQ (12th/Holden), all welcome.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Areas hit by multiple car prowls
Two neighborhoods with multiple car prowls are among the newest reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch. From Tommy:
Over the last week, there have been at least two vehicles with broken windows. One was a minivan near SW Juneau St and 25th Ave SW (first a broken front window, then the next night all side windows were broken).
This morning, walking my dog, I saw a neighbor on the 5400 block of 26th Ave SW picking broken glass out of her car door. She said that overnight, someone broke out the window, then stole nothing. Just wanted to get it out there in case someone sees something.
(added) CM sent word of this car break-in, not far from Tommy’s area:
My car was broken into early Sunday morning in the 4800 block of Delridge. Police said it looked like they were trying to hot wire it – damage to the ignition. Hard pressed to afford the repairs.
(back to original report) And this report from Fauntleroy:
Wanted to report several car prowls early Saturday morning 2/23 on Director St. at the bottom below 45th Ave SW.
At least 3 cars were broken into sometime between 2 am and 4 am, all parked in residence driveways. Small items were taken, and in one case, and expensive stereo/navigation unit was hacked out of the dashboard.
Police were notified and reports filed. If anyone else in the adjacent area was affected, please let us know. We’re wondering how far-reaching and organized this might have been.
Ahead, two more reader reports – a patio theft, and a “suspicious person” situation that might not have been a crime, but yielded some advice that a witness wants to share with you:
Read More
Morgan Junction bus-bulb backups: City to install ‘C-curb’
(Looking westward at the bus stop/future curb location, from the westbound Fauntleroy lane east of California)
If you use the Fauntleroy/California intersection in Morgan Junction, you know the “bus bulbs” that accompanied the RapidRide C Line debut last fall have led to some changes in the flow of other vehicle traffic. That in turn is leading SDOT to make another change at the intersection, as just announced to community leaders, who were invited to forward it to anyone they “deem(ed) appropriate,” so it found its way to us:
As a part of the city goal to improve Seattle’s walk, bike and bus transportation alternatives, the Seattle Department of Transportation, working in conjunction with King County Metro Transit, will be installing a safety curb in the street on the west leg of the intersection of Fauntleroy Way SW and California Avenue SW. The work will begin this Thursday, February 28, and is expected to take about two days to complete.
The yellow raised concrete curb will be installed between the opposing east and westbound lanes of Fauntleroy Way SW, adjacent to the westbound Metro bus stop. (See attached map for exact location.) The new permanent concrete curb will provide an additional indication to drivers that there is only one (1) westbound lane on Fauntleroy Way SW, west of California Avenue SW.
In 2012, as part of the improvements made for Rapid Ride bus service, a number of bus bulbs were installed in West Seattle for the C Line route. With a bulb, the bus simply stops in the travel lane instead of pulling in and out of traffic. This makes the bus service faster. However, at this particular location some drivers are crossing the center line to pass the bus, which has them driving in the oncoming eastbound left turn lane. In particular, drivers traveling southbound on California turning westbound onto Fauntleroy may not be able to see around buses serving the westbound bus stop, and may unexpectedly encounter oncoming eastbound vehicles. The raised curb is intended to deter such potential conflicts.
In addition to making the bus service faster, bus bulbs provide more space for passenger amenities – like shelters, benches, and real-time bus arrival signs – and the added waiting space helps keep sidewalks clear for pedestrians. However, bus bulbs can delay other traffic behind a loading bus. Motorists are reminded that buses typically spend 20 seconds or less serving each stop, and they are encouraged to build this slight additional travel time into their schedules in the interest of safety.
Here’s the map mentioned in the announcement. Meantime, we have a message out to SDOT to ask some questions, including whether this is being planned or considered anywhere else along the RapidRide route; we’re also hoping for a better visualization of what it will look like.
Meet the new neighbors: Westside School announces community meetings at future Arbor Heights site
When we first reported in November that Westside School (WSB sponsor) is seeking to buy the Hillcrest Presbyterian Church site as its permanent home, Westside leadership promised to schedule a meeting with its prospective new neighbors in Arbor Heights. They now have plans for two. From a flyer that’s just been circulated in AH:
Westside School is planning to move to the Hillcrest Church facility in the Arbor Heights neighborhood, and we would like to share our vision and plans and hear your feedback.
Open House #1: Saturday, March 9th, 10 AM-11 AM, Hillcrest Church, 10404 34th Avenue SW [map]
Open House #2: Tuesday, March 12th, 7 PM-8 PM, Hillcrest Church, 10404 34th Avenue SW
You can see the flyer in its entirety here. Westside is in its third year of leasing the former EC Hughes Elementary campus in Sunrise Heights; Seattle Public Schools has not yet decided how to use that school after Westside vacates. Westside, meantime, has said it plans to renovate the church’s structures rather than demolish them.
West Seattle Tuesday: Free Seattle Symphony concert; Block Watch Captains vs. mail theft; more…
(Monday photo by Mark Wangerin, who says the bird is a double-crested cormorant)
Highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
TRAFFIC REMINDER: This is day 2 of one lane southbound/two northbound on the Timber Bridge section of Highway 99, south of the West Seattle Bridge, which will be rebuilt over the next year-plus.
SEALTH TOUR: School tour this morning for prospective Chief Sealth International High School families coming from independent schools, 10-11:30 am (2600 SW Thistle)
PATHFINDER MIDDLE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: Pathfinder K-8‘s open house for prospective 6-8 students and their families at 6:00 pm in the library (1912 SW Genesee).
BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS VS. MAIL THEFT: How can you prevent mail theft/fraud – and what do you do if you discover/suspect it? Federal and city law enforcers will be guests at tonight’s monthly meeting of the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network, and you’re invited too: 6:30 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster).
SEATTLE SYMPHONY, FOR FREE, IN WEST SEATTLE! The orchestra’s series of free community concerts returns to West Seattle tonight, 7:30 pm at the auditorium of Chief Sealth IHS (2600 SW Thistle). No tickets required – just be there! Presented by the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle; details in the calendar listing.
NIGHTLIFE: Live music at Locöl and OutWest; trivia at Feedback; karaoke at Skylark; singer/songwriter night at Shadowland … individual listings for all of the above, on the calendar.
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