(Added: Photo courtesy Katy)
2:47 AM: Seattle Fire is dispatching a “full response” to a house fire in the 2100 block of 41st Avenue SW.
(Added: SFD photo)
2:51 AM: First units on scene say the house is “well involved” in flames.
(Added: WSB photo)
2:56 AM: Still fully involved, per radio communication, but sounds like they believe everyone got out OK. Firefighters are also dealing with what are reported to be downed power lines.
(Added: WSB photo)
3:06 AM: The command on scene is calling for two more engines to be dispatched.
3:21 AM: Added photos. Fire just declared under control. Also noting that the burning house is NOT the house whose address is shown on SFD’s real-time 911 log – as we’ve said many times before, that happens sometimes, the address might instead be whomever called it in, for example. Meantime, still no word of any injuries.
3:41 AM: Firefighters are calling the fire “tapped” (albeit with hot spots). Meantime, our crew at the scene will be talking shortly with the public-information officer who was sent.
3:49 AM: Briefing concluded – we have video to add when uploaded (added – here it is):
(As explained in the briefing, one person was home when it started; he is OK. SFD spokesperson Hilton Almond says the smoke detector awakened the man; he got out and alerted the neighbors to the north, whose house was also damaged.)
(WSB photo: Damage to house next door)
Too soon to say what ignited the fire – investigators have arrived.
4:17 AM: Just added the top photo sent by neighbor Katy, who says, “My husband & I were woken up around 2:35 am to loud booms to find the house across the street from us fully engulfed in flames with no fire department on scene yet” – they arrived moments later, she says.
3:01 PM: New information from SFD – the cause remains under investigation; damage to the house and contents is estimated at $350,000, while damage to the house next door is estimated at $50,000.
We asked SFD’s Almond about the 911 outage and whether that factored into any possible response delay. “The occupant did try 9-1-1 but could not get through,” he replied, but says he doesn’t have information on whose call (we heard the dispatcher say multiple calls had come in) got through or how long that took – he explains that the number advised as a backup, 206-583-2111, goes to SPD, which then would have transferred the call to SFD. (We’ll be following up with SPD.) Once SFD got its first call, he said, “units were dispatched within 31 seconds.” The incident log shows the first unit to arrive, Engine 29 (based blocks away), arrived 4 minutes after dispatch.
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