West Seattle, Washington
18 Thursday
(WSB photo)
When a Seattle Fire Department “full response” was sent at midmorning Friday to 5949 California SW – the 2-year-old microstudio apartment building known as Fauntleroy Lofts – it was the eighth time SFD had been called there in the past five days. And while today’s “full response” was for a kitchen fire, some of the other incidents have led to an arson investigation.
Archived Real-Time 911 logs show two calls there on Monday (February 11th), an Automatic Fire Alarm call at 2:56 pm and a 3 Red call at 4:40 pm. There were three on Thursday (February 15th), Automatic Fire Alarm calls at 2:57 pm and 4:39 pm and a 1 Red call at 5:44 pm. Today there were three more – an Automatic Fire Alarm call at 7:04 am, the “full response” at 10:25 am, and an Automatic Fire Alarm at 12:22 pm. Before that, online records show, there hadn’t been an SFD dispatch to 5949 California SW since a fire-alarm call on January 10th.
Two of the calls are linked to police reports classified as “reckless burning” – one on Monday, one on Thursday. The narrative explaining the reasons for that classification isn’t available online; SFD wouldn’t comment on the specifics, referring us to SPD because it’s the “lead agency for the investigation of these incidents.”
A tenant tells WSB that one Monday incident happened because “somebody took a roll of toilet paper, lit it on fire, and threw it into the hallway” and that the same thing happened again Thursday, both times on the same floor. Another incident, the tenant said, was a kitchen fire, while others involved someone “pulling the fire alarm.”
In e-mail to WSB, that resident and another one expressed concerns for their personal safety and security, and concerns that the building’s management/ownership was not doing enough about the situation. We sent an inquiry to an e-mail on the building’s website, and the manager responded that they would forward it to the owners, who e-mailed us this response:
We are writing you in response to an ongoing arson investigation at our building Fauntleroy Lofts. We take this all EXTREMELY serious, as the safety of our tenants has been grossly violated. We are working directly with both the Seattle Fire Dept. Arson Investigation Team and The Seattle Police Dept. to catch the person responsible for setting the fires and false alarms. Although we cannot discuss details of the investigation, we are working to locate and prosecute this criminal to the fullest extent of the law.
As owners, the safety of the both people living in our building and the surrounding community is our highest concern. Perception may be that nothing is being done, but please be assured we are doing everything we physically & legally can to provide our tenants with the safety and security they deserve. Although this may make it appear “nothing is being done”, our biggest priority is following protocol with the Arson investigation team so we can put an end to this so our building is safe again. ANY suspicious activity should be reported IMMEDIATELY to the Arson Investigation Team @ 1-800-55-ARSON or the Seattle Police Dept. Arson/Bomb Unit @ 206-684-8980.
The Owners of Fauntleroy Lofts
According to King County Assessor records, the building has 38 units.
From the son of longtime West Seattleite Darrell Burleigh:
I just wanted you to know that my father passed away recently.
He was more than just the best dad a son could hope for. He was a great man. He led by quiet example. He touched many lives and everyone liked him.
I’m sure he will be remembered by those who worked alongside him at the West Seattle Post Office, his friends at the West Seattle Golf Course, most recently those he helped at the Granada condos, and fellow residents at DayStar Assisted Living. For all of his adult life, he was a member of the West Seattle Christian Church. His life was Christ-like.
Plans for a memorial or funeral service are pending.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
It’s been a busy week at local schools, with special events before Mid-Winter Break, including Chief Sealth International High School‘s annual Multicultural Night. We stopped in last night and caught a song by the guitarists and singers you see in our video above. The entertainment schedule also included mariachi, spoken word, and Native American, Latino, Polynesian, Cambodian, and Latin dancers, Some groups tabled, including the Japanese language program:
Other tablers included the Black Student Union, Gender and Sexuality Club, African Student Association, Key Club, Green Team, Thai Club, and Model UN.
Families and community members were invited to watch the performances:
This was a free event – if you missed it this year, watch our calendar next school year!
Thanks to Brent Lindblom for the update – you’re invited to go cheer for swimmers and divers in the finals tomorrow!
Congratulations to the Kennedy HS Swim and Dive Team advancing to the State Finals this weekend. Though Kennedy Catholic High School is technically located in Burien, West Seattle has many students attending the school.
Swim Finals:
Jack Fenster: 200 Medley Relay, 50 Free style, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay
Ty Lindblom: 200 Medley Relay, 100 Back Stroke, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay
Brendon Stoll: 200 Medley Relay and 200 Free Relay
Luke Dorsett: 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay
Ben Kinerk: 200 Medley Relay an 400 Free Relay
Alternates: Riley Duvall, JJ Hartog, Trey HuntDive Finals:
Ryan Klem: Men 1 meter divingLocation: King County Aquatics Center – 650 SW Campus Dr, Federal Way
Finals: Saturday (February 17th)
Warm-up: 1:10 pm – Finals events start: 2:20 pm
State Admission Prices: Day Passes- Adult: $10 – Seniors/Students: $8 – Children Under 5: Free
(Please note that it is cash only)
Anybody else local in the state finals? Let us know!
(U.S. Coast Guard photo, February 2017)
The state has announced a fine for a diesel spill that followed a tugboat incident in our area one year ago. Here’s the Ecology Department news release:
The Washington Department of Ecology has fined Island Tug and Barge $8,000 for a spill of diesel fuel into the Duwamish River on Feb. 28, 2017. The penalty cites the company for the spill itself and for not making immediate notifications, as required by state law.
The company’s tug Island Wind struck a barge in the West Waterway of the Duwamish on that date, , breaching its hull and a fuel tank, spilling approximately 1,340 gallons of diesel. The company and its contractor, Global Diving and Salvage, mounted a prompt response and recovered 1,273 gallons of the spill. Small, unrecoverable sheens escaped into Elliott Bay.
The notification to the state occurred more than 90 minutes after the incident. Oil spills to water must be immediately reported to the Washington Emergency Management Division and the National Response Center. See Ecology’s website for details.
In addition to the penalty, Ecology is billing Island Tug and Barge $3,000 to recover the state’s costs to oversee the response.
The company also faces, under state law, a Resource Damage Assessment for harm caused to public resources. Compensation could include a restoration and enhancement project or study, or the spiller may be assessed a monetary amount, to be paid into a state fund that issues grants to local governments for environmental restoration projects.
FIRST REPORT, 4:48 PM: We’re again at Sammamish High School on the Eastside for district playoffs, and the West Seattle High School boys have just won a decisive victory against Bellevue HS, 49-38, keeping the lead all game long. Next up, another must-win game for the Wildcats – 3 pm tomorrow at Bellevue College, they’ll play the winner of tonight’s Garfield-Cleveland game – for a slot in regionals. Photos and details later!
ADDED 7:45 PM: The Wolverines tried but just couldn’t stop the Wildcats, who were out to a 7-0 lead within two minutes and never looked back. #2 Elijah Nnanabu was the scoring (17 points) and rebounding standout; #5 Abdullahi Mohamed had a strong game too (11 points):
Tight West Seattle defense forced Bellevue to keep trying from outside, and for most of the game, that wasn’t working. Meantime, the Wildcat lead was added to by #23 Anthony Giomi (10 points) …
… and #24 Simon Harris, who extended the WSHS lead to 11-2 before Bellevue even got a second basket:
WSHS so owned the first quarter, it ended with them leading 21-4. But Bellevue tried a comeback at that point, with 9 unanswered points on 3 three-pointers, and suddenly the lead was down to 8 points. That’s as close as Bellevue could get. They trailed 32-18 at halftime and never got close. WSHS didn’t take anything for granted, though, chasing the ball whenever they got a chance.
#3 Kendall Green shot a 3-pointer that gave the Wildcats their biggest lead, 39-20, midway through the third quarter. And they kept a double-digit advantage the rest of the way, with the final score 49-38. We’ll add an update here when we know who they’re playing Saturday afternoon.
ADDED SATURDAY MORNING: They’re playing Garfield.
You might recall that photo, provided by police on Monday when they announced the Sunday arrest of a man at a house on Puget Ridge. As we noted in an update to the story, he was released from jail Monday night on personal recognizance. Now, he’s back in jail, and he’s been charged: One felony drug charge is filed against 28-year-old Gregory Lee Thompson. The charging papers say police found “evidence of drug-dealing activity” at Thompson’s house – baggies and scales, along with the 400+ pills and meth listed in the police report. And the documents say prosecutors believe the 19 guns that also were found – though they are not the subject of a specific charge at this point – “increase the risk that the defendant will commit an act of violence as part of his drug dealing activity.” A $20,000 arrest warrant was issued when the charge was filed, and that’s why Thompson is back in jail as of this afternoon, just before he was due in court for a trial-readiness hearing in another drug case. That hearing has been rescheduled for next Friday.
If you went to the Sound Transit light rail open house in West Seattle this past Tuesday – or the one last night in Ballard – you probably saw the maps/charts that were laid out on tables for sticky-note comments. They were a different way of presenting information about the “representative alignment” – the “starting point” routes and elevation – and so we asked ST if we could get digital copies to share. Today, they’re online, and with one more open house – downtown next Tuesday (February 20th), 5:30-7:30 pm – you might want to take a look. The West Seattle one is embedded above (and visible in PDF here); the SODO one is here; downtown, here; Ballard, here.
Also shown at the open houses, the Google Earth flyover of the draft plan – animated, but without narration – and it’s now available as a video clip:
The project is currently in what’s officially called the “early scoping” phase and Sound Transit wants to hear all your comments – about the draft plan, anything you would rather see instead, and any potential effects you envision – noise, traffic, whatever. You can also make those comments via the “online open house,” which will remain open until March 5th – go to wsblink.participate.online.
Another stolen vehicle you might be able to help find – Adam reports his fiancée’s car was stolen this morning in the Westwood area:
The car is a 2010 White Ford Edge. On the back right there is an obvious spot where there used to be a Detroit ‘D’ magnet. There is also another Michigan sticker on the back window. The front windshield is cracked.
Unfortunately we do not have the license plate number. We moved from Michigan not too long ago and do not have the new Washington plates memorized or written down.
They have filed a police report. If you think you see it, call 911.
10:30 AM: Seattle Fire is sending a “full response” to 5949 California SW. This is an apartment building that’s had multiple fire alarms in recent days, including one earlier this morning. More to come.
10:35 AM: SFD says it’s reported as a kitchen fire, and that the building’s sprinkler system “contained” it.
10:44 AM: Our crew on scene confirms that no smoke is visible, no reports of any injuries; fire alarms inside the building can still be heard from outside. We’ll be asking about the previous alarms; the most recent one was at 7 am today, and there were three yesterday afternoon. Right now, please avoid California SW in the area – it’s blocked by the emergency responders.
10:52 AM: SFD confirms it’s a kitchen fire and it’s out. They’re not commenting on the other recent calls there. They expect California SW to reopen within about 45 minutes.
12:41 PM: A fire engine is back there now on a separate fire-alarm call.
Half a dozen ways to spend the rest of your Friday:
FRIDAY AFTERNOON MATINEE: Terry’s “Greatest Movies You’ve Never Heard Of” series presents “The Book of Eli,” 1 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle. Free popcorn! (4217 SW Oregon)
BASKETBALL: It’s another 3:30 pm West Seattle HS vs. Bellevue HS district-playoff game at Sammamish HS – but this time, it’s the boys. (100 140th Ave SE, Bellevue)
FILM SCREENING & COMMUNITY DISCUSSION: “Get Out”, an Oscar-nominated film described as “a stinging criticism of white liberalism,” at Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 7-10 pm. Info here. (7141 California SW)
‘BOBCAT BOB’: Live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), it’s Bob “Bobcat Bob” Rice! 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
CAR SEAT HEADREST: 7 pm in-store at Easy Street Records, free and all-ages BUT entry is only guaranteed with a wristband given for pre-orders of the band’s new album – info here. (California/Alaska)
‘NEXT TO NORMAL’: 7:30 pm opening-night curtain for Twelfth Night Productions‘ new play, “an unflinching look at a suburban family struggling with the effects of mental illness.” At Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
MORE! for today, tonight, and beyond – just go to our complete-calendar page.
There’s been a lot of talk about wintry weather this weekend, but the only official National Weather Service alert for our area so far is one that warns of wind – 7 am-7 pm Saturday, a “wind advisory” with gusts possible up to 45 mph. See the full advisory here.
Continuing announcements for youth sports league signups: Tim McMonigle sends word that the West Seattle Soccer Club is midway through registration for its spring season:
8-game season (Sundays). First game is April 8; Last game is June 10.
No games on Mother’s Day or on the weekend of the Memorial Day holiday.
Age groups: U-06 to U-12
Spring Fee: $65 for U-06 to U-12 players. Includes World Cup jersey.
Spring Coaches meeting (and Annual General Meeting) will be held at 7:00 pm on Thursday, 3/29
Registration closes March 1 (late registrations placed on wait list)
Go here to sign up and/or find out more!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning. So far, no incidents reported in/from West Seattle.
HOLIDAY WEEKEND AHEAD: Monday is Presidents Day, and that will affect transit schedules – no Water Taxi on Monday; Metro will run the “reduced weekday” service. Monday also will be the first day of a weeklong mid-winter break for Seattle Public Schools.
8:45 AM: A “heavy rescue” response is headed to West Marginal Way S. and South Holden [map].
8:50 AM: The response is already being downsized. No major injuries and no major traffic effects, per scanner.
| 20 COMMENTS