UPDATE: Seattle Fire ‘full response’ for Admiral house fire

2:13 AM: A Seattle Fire “full response” is headed to a possible house fire in the 2600 block of 39th SW [vicinity map]. Updates to come.

(Added: Texted photo)

2:15 AM: First engine to arrive confirms “working fire.”

2:19 AM: Firefighters say the fire seems to have reached the roof.

(Added: SFD photo)

2:24 AM: Firefighters have told dispatch that they’re finding “hoarding conditions” inside the house. Meantime, they’ve also declared the fire under control.

(Added: WSB photo)

2:45 AM: The fire’s now been declared “tapped” (out).

(Added: WSB photo)

3 AM: Our crew at the scene has talked with SFD’s David Cuerpo, who says no one was inside when the fire started, and no one has been hurt. SFD’s investigator is on the way.

3:02 PM: Cuerpo says the fire’s cause remains under investigation. He also says there was a resident inside the house at the time: “The resident was able to evacuate and reported no injuries.” And regarding another point of the firefighting operation that’s under discussion in the comments, Cuerpo says, “While our firefighters may state ‘hoarding conditions’ over the radio, it is communicated as a safety precaution for other firefighters on scene to be aware of objects that may block access to a space within the home. After the fire, our Battalion Chief on scene confirmed these were not hoarding conditions.”

ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: We’ve been asking SFD since the fire about the determination of cause. They have just confirmed it was arson. We’ll have a separate story later today.

~hockeywitch~ August 7, 2022 (2:45 am)

You can smell the smoke from it all the way at 35th and Morgan and can see it in the street lights.

Felicia August 7, 2022 (9:45 am)

We thank the entire firefighter and police crews that responded early this morning, and left long after we had been back safely in our beds.We truly appreciate all that you do for our community.

MC Admiral August 7, 2022 (9:54 am)

Thanks so much for your 24-hour reporting! The first thing I did after closing all of our windows and turning in our air purifiers was to check WSB.

justthinking August 7, 2022 (1:14 pm)

Wondering if you could remove the part about “hoarding conditions”, WSB. They’ve lost their house; they might want to keep some dignity. Hoarding is a mental disorder.

Marianne August 7, 2022 (1:33 pm)

Hoarding is also a dangerous situation for firefighters and neighbors.
S August 7, 2022 (2:10 pm)

I felt the same when I read that detail…I met the homeowner years ago so not sure if they are renting out or live there. A very nice person who might be out of town, so sorry for them :( Hopefully, they’ve been contacted.
KO August 7, 2022 (2:48 pm)

I agree with “Just Thinking” about the hoarding comment. There is a reality show I have watched. Most times, it is heartbreaking because of the number of things that have been kept by the homeowner. This program emphasizes the shock value of what you see. I had to quit watching this show because it was so disturbing. We don’t know if this home qualifies as an actual hoarding situation. I live two blocks from that house, and my heart aches for the homeowner. WSB, please rethink your posting; this is a tragedy
- WSB August 7, 2022 (3:01 pm)
  
  SFD’s spokesperson has just sent an update on that anyway, which I am adding to the story. – TR
  - KO August 8, 2022 (12:21 am)
    
    Thanks for the update. Here is the corrected post. 3:02 PM: Cuerpo says, “While our firefighters may state ‘hoarding conditions’ over the radio, it is communicated as a safety precaution for other firefighters on scene to be aware of objects that may block access to a space within the home. After the fire, our Battalion Chief on scene confirmed these were not hoarding conditions.” I want to add that this was communicated on the Police and Fire dispatch line. Someone had to listen to these calls and post them on the WSB. Why does the blog have to report unsubstantiated statements? Today I was working in my yard. A lady I did not know was walking by; she stopped to talk about the fire. The first words out of her mouth were the homeowner is a hoarder. She told me most fires are started at hoarders’ homes. She also said the homeowner is sick and a danger to our neighborhood. This is what happens when you publish false information. we are better people than this. The Fire Chief has corrected this post; not all people will see this. And to some, that poor woman will always be considered a menace to her community.
Chino August 7, 2022 (3:02 pm)

I agree to keep that detail out too.
- Carson August 7, 2022 (4:50 pm)
  
  Keep in mind the hoarding issue was obvious to anyone who lived near this home for several years now. Not sure we would call it a problem house but there were issues.

Me August 7, 2022 (1:20 pm)

Oh wow. That is just 3 blocks from us. Wonder what was the cause of the fire though.

WSB August 7, 2022 (1:30 pm)

Hasn’t been announced yet but we have an inquiry out. When we were there as the firefighting was wrapping up, they were just about to move to the investigation phase. Also, for the record, though we generally don’t publish exact addresses, for those who do their own research, the address on the real-time 911 log is NOT the address of the fire site – this, as we’ve mentioned before, happens sometimes, if a fire is called in by a neighbor, for example, the neighbor’s address is what winds up on the 911 log. Sometimes it gets corrected (that’s when you see ALL CAPS entries on RT 911), sometimes it does not. – TR

WSB August 7, 2022 (2:31 pm)

Checking the archives, we have had this discussion here several times over the years. This is not reporting a diagnosis – this is reporting the SFD description of conditions they faced fighting the fire, in all our names as a public service. I could do a better job by explaining what it means and how they have to adjust their tactics if they encounter these conditions. They work with very specific guidelines regarding the type of call and the conditions they face (sometimes if it’s too dangerous to go inside for a variety of reasons, and this could be one of them, they have to change their tactics, etc. – TR

Pat August 7, 2022 (6:51 pm)

People should understand, “hoarding conditions” can simply indicate that there is a lot of stuff in a small area. It could be well organized in the light of day and a complete death trap with heat, smoke, water and limited Visibility. No one is making a diagnosis.

Sorry, comment time is over.