UPDATE: 5 people hurt in apartment fire east of Westwood Village

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | Westwood

10:09 AM: Seattle Fire has a “full response” arriving in the 2200 block of SW Barton [map]. Updates to come.

(Added: WSB photos)

10:12 AM: Barton is closed between Delridge and 24th SW for this response. Firefighters are telling dispatch the fire is on the building’s third floor.

10:19 AM: SFD confirms it’s a “working fire” in an apartment building and their crews have water on it. The road closure is now extending west to 25th/Barton.

10:28 AM: One person is reported injured and will be taken to Harborview. Our crew has just arrived and says people have been evacuated from the building and a Metro bus is being used for them to shelter.

10:39 AM: They’re still working to extinguish the fire and to confirm that it hasn’t spread beyond the third floor. We also just heard a mention that a cat’s been rescued. Also, our crew reports some people are getting oxygen.

10:45 AM: Fire has been declared under control.

11:01 AM: No word yet on how this started, but SFD’s investigator is on scene. SFD says at least three people have been treated for injuries. This is a 40+-unit complex built in 1968, according to property records.

11:28 AM: At the scene, SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley told us five people were hurt – including a man who jumped from a balcony just as firefighters were arriving. He did not need to be taken to the hospital. Two of the four others did. SFD is not sure yet whether anyone will be displaced beyond the resident of the unit where the fire started.

11:53 AM: The Red Cross is assisting those who need it. Meantime, we’ll be checking back periodically on the street-closure situation but continue avoiding the area as a significant SFD presence is likely to continue a while – the incident log shows more than a dozen units still on scene for this call.

12:31 PM: SFD has told dispatch they’re working with property management to determine who can return to their apartments.

1:30 PM: Roads are reopening, police have told dispatch.

2:05 PM: Per Metro alert, area buses are back to their regular routes.

Bus February 19, 2022 (10:26 am)

The busses have not yet gotten re-route instructions as of 10:25 so we’re all stopped and waiting for instructions on how to get through. We can see white smoke coming out of the building to the east of the one under construction. Not much smoke right now so hopefully everyone is OK and it will be out soon.

Irishlady February 19, 2022 (10:43 am)

It is in the back side.

Nathnael February 19, 2022 (10:48 am)

It’s under control.

जोह्न होएने John Hoene February 19, 2022 (10:59 am)

Praying for the residents. Thanks SFD!

me February 19, 2022 (2:25 pm)

praying for everyone

L Hood February 19, 2022 (3:13 pm)

Thank you for rescuing my daughter’s cat. This building had no central alarm system. She was 2 doors away and only knew something was up because of the smell of smoke!

Adam February 19, 2022 (7:53 pm)

That’s a great use of the city busses I hadn’t thought of before this. I wonder if that’s typical, or just happened to be available during this emergency.

WSB February 19, 2022 (7:58 pm)

Yes, this has been done before, typically if the # of evacuees warrants, and weather’s a factor too. One incident that comes to mind is the gas leak in Highland Park that evacuated apartment residents after a driver hit a line.
- Adam February 20, 2022 (6:44 am)
  
  Good to know, thnx for the clarification
KD February 20, 2022 (7:34 am)

It is very common, and not just for use of displaced tenants, but during very cold weather, extra buses can be brought in for the firefighters to warm up and rest if it’s a long fire fight. I drove Metro for 41 years, and I’d hear the calls go out for any volunteers that were through with their shifts (if an extra report driver wasn’t available) if they could help out on these situations. One winter night in the early 1980’s I was ready to pull the bus into the yard just before 11:00pm I think. The call was needed for ‘warming buses’ at the Fremont Ballard Ship Canal, a large boat (multiple) fire. There were no tenants to warm, but it was a really cold spell and that night it was 18’ out (brrrrrrr!! 💨) and the call went on for hours, so me and another bus and driver got to sit with all those firefighters as they rested from taking turns fighting the big fire, plus, all the water from the hoses were instantly freezing, and it was a miserable night cold wise.. but a warm heat blasting 🚌 to help them recover and rest!

Jackie February 24, 2022 (12:09 pm)

The Apts have asbestos and is in the process of being condemned. ALL Residents have 10 MINUTES to get what they want/need from their unit ONCE EVERY DAY until the building IS completely boarded up for good.sources: friend was a resident at location, and had to seek out and call Red Cross to find out more details about the building. Still haven’t been notified by management with ANY information regarding the incident.

WSB February 24, 2022 (12:30 pm)

I’ve requested the report multiple times from SFD and will continue asking until I get it. Will look into the rest of that allegation.

Sam February 27, 2022 (10:46 am)

I live(d) in the building, only two units down from the fire. No fire alarms went off. No sprinkler system in building. They have us in a hotel, they’ve told us no one can go in or out of the 3rd & 4th floors because they found asbestos after Servpro came in. This was reported Wednesday to us. As of Saturday they have boarded all entrance points into the building to keep homeless out and thief’s. They are putting a perimeter fence around the building in Monday. They still have NOT told us when or if we will be able to get back into the building, or if they are going to cancel our leases. What will happen to our things, etc. Just sitting ducks. This building houses a lot of families with young kids. Some low income & on housing vouchers. Housing can’t start anything until they can confirm the unit(s) are uninhabitable or if the landlord is releasing us from our leases. They need to figure it out, so we can start the process of finding new homes and moving forward with our lives. We all feel lost.

MB March 1, 2022 (4:06 pm)

I’m a resident who is currently staying in the hotel with no word on how long or what’s going to happen. The management company is completely incompetent. They put our lives in danger with no alarms or sprinklers and apparently no inspections for asbestos. They also won’t tell us when our units have been robbed, which has happened this time AND once last month when they had to do electric work and forced us to stay in a hotel then too. This is absurd.I’d be more than happy to be interviewed… they’ve put us through hell and treated us poorly… with no empathy or even an “I’m sorry.” Never give us info even when we beg for it. The Red Cross has been SO nice, as well as security & the ServPro workers. They give us more compassion & more information than our management company has the entire time. Such a shame. DON’T RENT WITH GUIDE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT.

EDC March 2, 2022 (5:11 pm)

I’m in agreement with MB to the point my partner saw the comment and thought it was me. My partner and I have been residents at Westwood Vista for 2.5 years and Guide Property Management has been HORRIBLE through this entire experience.There were no alarms or sprinklers when the fire started. People were knocking door to door to get people out the the building. People were throwing their dogs and themselves off the balconies because they were trapped in their homes. I wasn’t aware that units were robbed during the electrical work but we certainly were robbed during the fire. When I reached out and told GuidePM the “Director of Property Management’s” response was “I need your insurance claim number”. No I’m sorry. No ask for what happened. Just callous, heartlessness after they promised in email after email there was security. We went up the apartment and were able to take (our own) packages out of the lobby and mail center with zero resistance. We wouldn’t have even seen or been seen by security if we hadn’t gone to the separate parking lot. We didn’t even know the cause of the fire until we got the information through West Seattle Blog about the fire. GuidePM STILL hasn’t said anything about the cause of the fire to it’s residents. What GuidePM HAS told us (last night at 6pm just before leaving the office via email) telling us we only had until March 9th for our current accommodations and then it was up to us to find something because the entire building will be without power for at least a month and floors 3 and 4 will be inaccessible for longer. They say they are “pro-rating” the rent for February, but nothing about March rent. They’re allowing people to break lease. So what, if we don’t pay for March they have an excuse to throw our stuff on the street because we “choose to break lease”? Asked GuidePM for clarification and crickets. Neither the building manager or the “Director of Property Management” is answer phone calls at all. Straight to voice mail.MB, if you see this on 03/02/22, we’ll be in the lobby talking to the Red Cross at 7pm. Would love to get together and compare notes. The tenants need to mobilize and let these people know they can not treat us like this. Absolute garbage.
- Kristiana Lucas March 4, 2022 (5:16 pm)
  
  Yes this is absolutely a tragedy for these families. My daughter and her good friend are tenants and both have 4 children. One of my grandchildren has special needs and she is use to being on a routine. This is causing our family to be disrupted due to lack of communication and empathy for these families. I am at my last draw with this and will be making sure my daughter and four children are taken care of. This has caused major stress and PTSD for my grand babies to have to be rushed out of a fire with no alarm or notice! Not a damn alarm. Thankfully every one made it out alive, but this is unacceptable and they need compensation for this and what it is doing to all and their families. We need answers and help immediately.

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