UPDATE: Roadside fire near bottom of Highland Park Way Hill

11:56 AM: That’s happening on the uphill side of Highland Park Way right now, near the bottom of the hill – firefighters trying to put out what’s logged as a “car fire.” Police are en route to help with traffic control. Avoid the area.

NOON: The live traffic camera in the area shows firefighters appear to have extinguished the fire. Still hard to tell from the angle exactly what it was that burned – whether a trailer or something else. Of note, before it was out, firefighters said over the radio that the hydrant in the area was on the south (downhill) side of the street, so if this had been a protracted firefight, they would have had to shut down both directions of traffic to reach the hydrant with a hose.

KayK March 6, 2026 (12:02 pm)

Trailer – foam running all down the street!

DRW March 6, 2026 (12:52 pm)

Sure glad there were 4 lanes of traffic.

bill March 6, 2026 (1:34 pm)

“2019-2023: 41 reported crashes” Yeah, with that sort of driving incompetence it is important to have bypass room. Or we could make drivers drive safely and not crash.
- HP March 6, 2026 (3:07 pm)
  
  And how many of those crashes were due to impaired drivers? I would not like to be squeezed closer to that kind of risk. Anyone have crash rates for the high bridge?? I wonder why a “fix” of HP hill is a higher priority in the name of “safety”…
- Ms. Noem March 6, 2026 (3:15 pm)
  
  See how much traffic slows down when a police officer is there? Traffic is going way slower than any lane reduction would do.

gh March 6, 2026 (1:12 pm)

🙄

spooled March 6, 2026 (2:25 pm)

This was another encampment fire. It is a utility trailer that burned. The camp at the bottom of the hill which was swept a week ago ( https://westseattleblog.com/2026/03/cleanup-at-west-marginal-way-encampment-near-future-rv-tiny-house-site/  ), the one with stolen cars, simply relocated a hundred yards up the hill. It’s even the same construction debris (big white foam panels) in BOTH camps.

Susan March 6, 2026 (2:30 pm)

You know what… I am so tired of people telling others they should ride the bus, they should ride a bike, they should walk… they shouldn’t drive a vehicle. Not EVERYONE can do/use those things and for someone to tell them otherwise is disrespectful. This world cannot revolve around ONLY bikes and public transportation.

So 4 lanes, 2 lanes are to be shared lanes.

bill March 6, 2026 (5:06 pm)

I assure you the world does not revolve around only bikes and public transportation. If it did there would be plenty of room on our roads for those who need to drive to do so very easily.
E March 6, 2026 (8:20 pm)

I’m tired of people thinking motorists should have priority to city streets. No one is completely taking away car infrastructure, just trying to rebalance street usage. Cars as personal mobility devices should be the lowest priority in cities, not the first. This rebalancing might be uncomfortable at first, but over time, other modes will be much more viable. If you still need to drive, you might actually find it less stressful.

I’m also really tired of constantly feeling threatened by motorists when I travel through my city.
- West Marge March 8, 2026 (5:51 pm)
  
  Yeah, in a city of hills, biking and walking are incompatible with my life. When the bus stop is a mile away, I’m not able to go. I have chronic pain that prevents me from doing so. You are very privileged to use those options
Lauren March 6, 2026 (8:56 pm)

Lolol
Alki Stu March 7, 2026 (8:26 am)

No one is telling you to ride a bike. Although, it would be good for you. Ironically the last hundred years of street design has been telling us we must drive a car.

KD March 6, 2026 (3:58 pm)

I don’t think that was a crash, I think that was the truck and the trailer that was parked overnight and has been the past few nights. I drive by every night this intersection overnight and always see sketchy vehicles parked or hanging out in the back corners of that entrance. I possibly had also seen that white van a few weeks back that had been stolen and driven up the trail and abandoned or burned? There is always people in vehicles overnight at that entrance, right where the fire is. Cummings and goings always look questionable practically every night, rarely is it empty or quiet there.

KD March 6, 2026 (8:59 pm)

*Comings

CarDriver March 6, 2026 (4:14 pm)

ABSOLUTELY LOVE the “it’s always the bad drivers” comments from people who mysteriously forget to show their “I’m a perfect driver” documentation. Pot meet kettle.

bill March 6, 2026 (5:09 pm)

Well CarDriver, if you hit things with your car you are a bad driver. In my household one car has been totaled by a hit & run driver, three others have been damaged by other drivers running into them. Bad drivers all, I would say.

CS in HP March 6, 2026 (4:33 pm)

I fill out a “find it fix it” report about every other day for this parking area and the camping in the woods on the corner. Why can’t SPD pull through this lot every day around dusk and remind people: no over night parking, no camping… we get kicked out of the new waterfront park minutes after closing- why cant rules be enforced for our parks and greenbelt as well? Parks are open dawn to dusk, I know police drive by this all day and night – can one of them pull in and proactively enforce the dang laws? Those guys set up shop there 3 days ago, why were they allowed to stay there?

flimflam March 6, 2026 (4:41 pm)

Unfortunately there are two sets of rules in many instances around here…

snowskier March 6, 2026 (4:41 pm)

At least they burned up their trailer on a rainy day so it didn’t catch the forest on fire.

Don Brubeck March 7, 2026 (7:04 pm)

This fire had absolutely nothing to do with car traffic lanes or bike lanes or how fast anybody is going on Highland Park Way. OMG how people love to jump to conclusions to reinforce their preconceptions and chosen victimology.

Sorry, comment time is over.