West Seattle, Washington
09 Tuesday
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
11:14 PM: Big response for a house-fire call in the 9000 block of 21st SW, near Westwood Village (map) – possibly a fire in the basement. More shortly.
11:29 PM UPDATE: Christopher Boffoli is there for WSB and confirms it’s a basement fire – very smoky, he adds. Via radio, we’ve heard firefighters declare it “tapped.” No injuries reported so far.
11:37 PM UPDATE: Update from Christopher – all the residents got out OK; they’re still doing inventory on pets – he says, “They grabbed their dogs but they say a couple of cats are inside.”
NUTSKRACKER from Perinspire on Vimeo.
No, ballerinas are NOT all sweetness and light. Alki resident Simone Bruyère Fraser, who danced professionally for 10 years back east, wanted to have some fun and show ballet dancers’ tough side – so she and friend Esy Casey made that video, with composer Carl Clark, 
and invited us to share it here for the lighter side of Christmas. (Full credits are on the video.) Simone says she and Esy, the video’s director (at left with her in the photo at right), shot it at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor) – perfect place, considering they are the home of life-size Nutcrackers. And yes, she has danced in “The Nutcracker” – “almost every role in 10 years … from lamb, to mouse, to snow queen!” These days, she also does commercial, TV, film, and print work as well as dance, but says her “true commitment is trying to do some good in this world and help people to ‘respect the dance’,” adding, “Ballerinas need respect!”
Gatewood photographer/pilot Long B. Nguyen sent that view of West Seattle (and beyond) – photographed on Monday – for us to share with you as a “holiday card from the air.” In turn, we thank him for sharing so many images – most, but not all, from the sky – in recent years! (Click the photo for a larger view.)
4:42 PM: Just got a call from someone asking about the smoke visible from Harbor Avenue, looking across the bay. There’s a big fire in the International District; the address on the SFD 911 log is 669 S. King Street. Here’s one of the photos SFD has tweeted:
Firefighters are fighting this as a defensive fire due to it being an abandoned building pic.twitter.com/WJWCT5KRev
— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) December 25, 2013
Here’s what our friends at KING 5 are reporting.
6:29 PM UPDATE: Our partners at The Seattle Times quote SFD as pointing out that this building has a notorious past – as the site of the Wah Mee massacre 30 years ago.
8:39 PM UPDATE: Updated the Times link in the preceding paragraph – they now have a longer story elsewhere on their site. Also of note, West Seattle fire crews are assisting, per radio communication and the online 911 log, including Ladder 11, whose crew we had photographed earlier today assisting police on Genesee Hill, as well as Engine 11 from Highland Park and Engine 32 from The Junction.
WEDNESDAY MORNING NOTE: SFD published an update overnight; the fire wasn’t under control until almost 10:30 pm.
Here’s hoping for a “Silent Night” from here – but it hasn’t been a slow day for West Seattle public-safety personnel:
SCHOOL SUSPECTS: SPD called in Seattle Fire this past hour to help them get two suspects off the roof of the old, soon-to-be-demolished Genesee Hill school building. District security called SPD to check out a possible break-in; if you drove SW Genesee past the school, you might have seen the big response.
After a lengthy search, officers found two men. They are suspected to have been squatting there, we were told by police at the scene. Officers wound up on the roof with at least one of the suspects and asked for SFD’s help in getting him down; Ladder 11 from Station 32 in The Junction responded, and as you see in our photo, its crew wound up using a portable ladder rather than the truck’s big ladder.
No details yet on the men’s ages or whether they were booked into jail.
AUTO THEFTS: Two reader reports have come in today about stolen cars whose owners ask you to be on the lookout for them. First:
My car was stolen this morning (12/24) around 10 am in West Seattle. I had it parked on the street in front of my home on the 5000 block of 38th Ave SW. It is an older model Honda CRV 2000 …license plate number WYG585 .Color is red with a few stickers on the backside as well a spare tire with black cover….If you have any information, please contact the non emergency police line at 206-625-5011 … Thank you!
Also, from Sally:
My car was stolen over the weekend. The last time I saw it was on Saturday, 12/21/13 at 9:30 pm and I found out it was missing on Monday, 12/23/13 at 7:30 am. It was stolen from the North Admiral area in a secure parking garage.
It is a dark green 97 Honda Accord in pretty good shape. It has a spoiler and the letters and logos are in gold. The license plate number is 521-ZDJ. If anyone finds it, please report to the police. Thank you in advance and I hope you enjoy the holidays.
Just announced by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency:
Due to increasingly stagnant weather conditions, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is issuing a Stage 1 burn ban for King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, effective at 5 p.m. on December 25, 2013. This ban remains in effect until further notice.
During a Stage 1 burn ban:
No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home’s only adequate source of heat.
No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.It is OK to use natural gas, propane, pellet and EPA-certified wood stoves or inserts during a Stage 1 burn ban.
11:11 AM: Last night we were asked about a sizable police response and apparent arrest in Arbor Heights near 35th and 102nd. Today, we have details: Police arrested a 13-year-old suspected in multiple burglaries/attempts. Officers found him after a report of someone trying to break into a house near 98th/32nd; items found on him were linked to other break-ins. The report we obtained from police says he just got out a week ago after serving time for other burglaries. Still working on more info – added details to come.
ADDED 12:33 PM: More details from the report:
That’s the McKean home between Schmitz Park and Madison – just added to our map (see below), one of the lists we put together each year in hopes of being helpful during the holidays. For this Christmas Eve, our daily preview is all about the lists:
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS MAP: You can go directly to its page on Google Maps, or see it in the WSB Holiday Events/Info Guide. Click any icon for the address, and links to get directions and other information. (Note that the music-synched West Seattle Lights/Helmstetler Family Spectacular is on until midnight tonight, with free hot chocolate 6-8 pm – remember to bring your West Seattle Food Bank donation or donate online.) Thanks to everyone who has sent suggestions and/or photos this season – and thanks to everyone who has taken the time to decorate, brightening the season for passers-by!
RESTAURANTS OPEN CHRISTMAS EVE AND/OR DAY: Here’s the list – please note the caveats!
(added) TACO TRUCK FREEBIES: 11 am-3 pm today, Taqueria El Antojo, the truck in the Short Stop lot north of Morgan Junction Park, is giving away food for Customer Appreciation Day.
GROCERY STORE HOURS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE/DAY: Here’s the list, including when they’re closing tonight and who’s closed tomorrow.
CHRISTMAS EVE CHURCH SERVICES: See the WSB Holiday Guide for the churches that sent us their service times/info for tonight (thank you!).
(added) NEED SOMETHING WRAPPED? From the Holiday Guide – Furry Faces Foundation and AARF have one last “Wrap It Up” (by donation for their animal-advocacy work) event, 2-7 pm today at Beveridge Place Pub. (6413 California SW)
CHRISTMAS DAY COFFEE: This info is mostly helpful tomorrow, but in case you want to plan ahead, here’s the list. Caveats here too, and as with restaurants, if you as a customer discover last-minute changes, or if you as a proprietor make last-minute changes, please let us know, since we’re here 24/7/365 as always.
Local shopping hours today? We just didn’t have the bandwidth to canvass local stores too BUT you are welcome to comment on this story if you’re open for last-minute shoppers!
(More area traffic cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. As you’d expect, quiet, as reinforced by this tweet from the WSDOT person watching metro-area highways:
Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, were singing because there's no traffic at all. My heart is growing 3 sizes!
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) December 24, 2013
One more reminder that the holiday schedule changes start today for Metro riders, as outlined here – today it’s the “reduced weekday” schedule.
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