UPDATE: Smoky smell spreads far from South Transfer Station fire

| South Park | West Seattle news

6:30 AM: We’ve received several questions about a strong smell of smoke in West Seattle. No fire calls here but for the past couple hours, SFD has been battling what’s described as a trash fire inside the South Transfer Station on the west edge of South Park (several miles away), and that’s generated a lot of smoke, so we’re thinking that must be what people are noticing. Seattle Public Utilities operates the station and says it will be closed today because of the fire, so if you were planning a dump/recycling run, you’ll have to go elsewhere.

7:45 AM: Update from SFD via Twitter – this is the view INSIDE the transfer station:

Progress approx 70% contained. pic.twitter.com/PWCfqBUTR3

— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) October 28, 2016

This has been a stubborn fire – the SFD log shows the first response goes back to 12:36 am.

9:23 AM: More details on the fire and the closure, from SPU:

Seattle Public Utilities’ South Transfer Station is closed today, while firefighters and utility workers deal with the aftermath of a fire on the station’s tipping floor.

The fire at the three-year-old station, in South Park, started around 12:45 this morning. The cause is unknown at this time. Transfer station fires are often caused by materials — such as marine flares or chemicals — that have been improperly disposed of.

For information on where to dispose of household hazardous waste, including station locations and hours, contact www.HazWasteHelp.org or (206) 296-4692.

At 8:10 this morning, the fire was 70 percent contained.

While the station is closed, SPU is asking self-haul customers to take their garbage to the utilities’ old transfer station, at 8100 2nd Ave. S., which is adjacent to the new station. Compost and recycling cannot be accepted at the old station today.

Director of Solid Waste Ken Snipes said fires occasionally occur at garbage transfer stations, and the new station is built to withstand them. Damage to the station—if any—has not yet been assessed.

M October 28, 2016 (6:42 am)

Wasn’t there a huge tire fire in Federal Way. Possible it came from all the way down there? That’s what it smells like to me.

WSB October 28, 2016 (6:47 am)

That’s ~20 miles away and happened at one house. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article110949897.html

Arbor Heights Gal October 28, 2016 (7:37 am)

It was bad at 6am, driving down 35th my eyes burned all the way to the bridge! Smell was strong, IMO.

CanDo October 28, 2016 (8:24 am)

Good to know… Thanks WSB. Made me nervous when I smelled it early this morning, because it definitely wasn’t fireplace smoke!

Mark October 28, 2016 (8:29 am)

I smelled this when walking my dog in High Point around 0615. The smell is pretty odd, but wasn’t too strong.

raywest October 28, 2016 (9:26 am)

I live just north of Morgan Street Junction area, and I could smell smoke when I left for work this morning. I thought there must be a fire in West Seattle, but I was surprised that it was this far away.

miws October 28, 2016 (10:15 am)

In regards to the intensity of the smell of the smoke from quite a distance away; last month with the terrible fire at the Lam-Bow Apartments on Delridge, the smoke was surprisingly (IMO) strong where I live about one mile south and a couple blocks east of the fire.

Even more surprising, two days later in the late morning, technically less than 48 hours after the fire, I was on a Route 60 bus heading home and down along Ellis Av S in Georgetown, in an area a few blocks south of being due east, there was a very strong smell of smoke, almost as if a fire nearby was underway, or there had been a very recent, like within just a few hours, fire. No smoke was visible in my field of view.

When I got home, I checked the SFD 911 Log, and nothing down in that area. I think I may have also checked the previous day’s archived calls and nothing.

I suppose “as the crow flies”, it wasn’t all that far from the Lam-Bow fire, but it was sure surprising to think that the smell could be that intense a couple days later. Maybe something to do with the smoke coming down off the ridge, and getting trapped in the valley between West Seattle and Beacon Hill.

Mike

David October 28, 2016 (10:21 am)

I smelled this all the way down at our apartment on Beach Drive this morning. I thought someone had a fireplace going, but it seemed way too strong to be that. I then heard about the fire from people at Realfine when I stopped there (I could really see the haze in the air when I got to that area). Whenever these fires occur at trash/recycling stations I joke to my wife, “See, that’s what happen when people don’t rinse their recyclables!” In all seriousness, though, I’m glad nobody was hurt and that they’re getting the fire contained. And also, people really need to take better care of how they dispose of things. The disposal rules for recycling, garbage, compost, and HAZMAT items are all clearly spelled out, and yet a lot of people still don’t seem to get it or are just too lazy to care. At my workplace I regularly see banana peels in the recycling bin, which is right next to the food waste bin.

sam-c October 28, 2016 (10:39 am)

A-ha! thanks for the story. Smelled it really bad this morning when I got up and did work out. I checked the blog thinking that a house nearby might have burned down, it smelled so bad. I checked too early in the AM, but thanks for solving the mystery, WSB !

Diane October 28, 2016 (11:06 am)

that smoke stink was so strong in Admiral at 4:30am, I was afraid there was a fire in my apt building; then realized it was from outside, somewhere; closed my windows so I could sleep; I fully expected to read here today that there was a massive fire somewhere close in WS; thanks for the info

Sue October 28, 2016 (11:07 am)

I’m glad to see this, as I know I’m not crazy. :) I live in the Alaska Junction and woke up this morning at 6 and smelled a faint smell of smoke, even with the windows closed. It made me nervous, as it was a little over a year ago that we had a fire in my apartment building. The smell was a lot stronger in the elevator around 7:40, and I could smell it on the street when I got outside. Not terribly strong or overwhelming, but definitely noticeable.

Elle October 28, 2016 (12:45 pm)

I work with children and today there’s been a large rash of them who have been getting sick since this morning when we opened. I’ve had a migraine all morning that medicine isn’t helping. I believe it might be directly related to this incident. It smells like burnt plastic outside. Ugh

Brooke October 28, 2016 (1:34 pm)

Is anyone currently located in West Seattle know if the smell is still bad?

I’m concerned there are toxic chemicals in the air and would like to avoid the area after work if its still around.

Holls of Fame October 28, 2016 (2:02 pm)

I’m on California at Raymond and slept with a window fan going. Woke up at probably 3am smelling the most heinous toxic smoke, like a carcinogen cocktail. I figured there must be a house fire or car fire or something as it was not woodsmoke (although seemed overlaid with woodsmoke – I beg you neighbors have mercy on us who rely on open windows at night for fresh air – we would like to remain cancer free or at least able to sleep). Took forever to clear the room and I lost at least 2 hrs sleep over it.

Sorry, comment time is over.