UPDATE: Fire at unfinished townhouses on SW Roxbury

(Photo sent by Carol)

1:52 PM: Thanks for the tips and photos. Seattle Fire has a big response at SW Roxbury/20th SW, across from Holy Family. Updates to come.

1:55 PM: As shown in the photo sent by Carol, this is a new-construction development. SFD says the building is “fully involved,” so crews are fighting in a “defensive” mode because of a chance the building could collapse.

(Added – photo tweeted by Genna)

2 PM: Update from SFD – now they’re back to “offensive” mode because: “Crews have water on the fire and have made significant progress knocking down the exterior fire.”

(WSB photos from here down)

2:14 PM: Our crew at the scene says Roxbury is closed from 18th westward. Adding more photos. No injuries reported.

2:46 PM: Investigators are at the fire scene trying to find out how it started.

3:51 PM: Roxbury has reopened. Meantime, SFD says a firefighter had to be taken to the hospital for “medical evaluation” but is in stable condition.

10:04 PM: SFD tells us the fire is still under investigation. Online records show the site is being built as townhouses.

SW July 16, 2022 (3:33 pm)

Thank you to whomever called this in & to SFD for their quick response/action. Much appreciated!!

RickB July 16, 2022 (3:35 pm)

Just was on a walk in the neighborhood. Number 120 busses rerouted down 98th St.

Ryan July 16, 2022 (9:14 pm)

Those buildings seemed to be under construction for the past 3 years.. hmmmm

Derek July 16, 2022 (9:28 pm)

Smelled the smoke from my house a block away and then immediate sirens. Great response by SFD. Can WSB dig up any info on the developer and why the units have sat unfinished and vacant for the past few months? This particular unit had windows broken from the inside and the door pried open. Unfortunately I’m not terribly surprised that it caught on fire if there are squatters there.

WSB July 16, 2022 (10:07 pm)

The property is owned by a Federal Way investor who bought it less than two years ago. Nothing I’ve seen yet in the permit files suggest why construction would stall – but more than a few projects we’ve watched have stalled in recent years, from teardown-rebuild single-family-house sites to townhouses to big condo complexes.
K July 17, 2022 (7:08 am)

Driving by regularly, this project never looked stalled (as opposed to the townhouse project at 9050 15th, which has been at a standstill for some time). More likely they hit a delay with supply issues or a subcontractor’s availability so things slowed down, but they have been out on site almost continuously.
- Erik July 17, 2022 (10:57 pm)
  
  I work in real estate and I would probably assume supply chain issues as well. I’ve seen some other townhomes in the area delayed by a year because they can’t get the materials. All thanks to COVID issues slowing the supply chain.

K2 July 17, 2022 (12:02 pm)

We live nearby, these townhomes have been stalled for nearly 4 months at this point, with glacial work happening intermittently before then. A block west has seen two massive townhomes go from dirt lot to nearly on market in that timespan. This is very fishy.

Casey July 17, 2022 (4:13 pm)

The townhomes at 9050 15th were completed, sold and have been occupied for a long time. Maybe you mean the other townhome projects on the same block? Those have also been under active development for the past 8 months or so. I know because I live on the block.

K July 17, 2022 (7:08 pm)

You’re right; I was getting my neighborhood project addresses mixed up. The townhouses a street over at 9029 16th have been stalled for some time.

Sorry, comment time is over.