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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Man arrested for alleged arson at encampment
July 18, 2025 1:08 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

1:08 PM: After hearing about an arson investigation regarding a fire call this morning near the Southwest Precinct, we asked police for information. They tell us a 46-year-old man was arrested, accused of setting a fire at an encampment across the street from the precinct. Police say an officer saw the suspect get out of what they describe as his “white 2006 Ford Econoline van” around 7:30 am, carrying a gas can, ten walking to the encampment, which “became engulfed in flames” as the suspect returned to his van. Police say the officer described the suspect as “walking out of the brush with smoke and fire trailing him.” They caught up with him after he drove away and arrested him and booked him into jail. No injuries were reported in the fire, which remains under investigation by SPD arson/bomb squad detectives.

SATURDAY UPDATE: The suspect had a probable-cause hearing today. The documents don’t reveal anything about an alleged motive; his “last known address” was downtown. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office requested bail be set at $100,000; the appearance-court judge released the suspect – who does not appear to have a record – on his own recognizance. That does not mean he won’t be charged; prosecutors are awaiting a case referral from SPD.

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READER REPORT: Smoldering driftwood at Lincoln Park
July 14, 2025 12:13 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

If you’ve noticed more charred driftwood today at Lincoln Park, note that it has been reported to police. The photos and report are from a texter:

Someone is setting fire to logs at Lincoln Park again. This is across from picnic shelter 3 on the south side.

It’s still smoldering right now and there’s also a half-burned log at the picnic shelter.

The fire did not appear to have been reported to SFD, so we suggested the texter do that, since it was “smoldering”; they reported back, “I called 911, and they transferred me to SFD, who transferred me to SPD because I think nothing was actively on fire. Then they transferred me to non-emergency, who surprisingly answered in less than 2 minutes.” (Side note, it was mentioned at a recent community meeting that the non-emergency line is being covered at least some of the time again. Nonetheless, the advice remains, start with 911.)

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UPDATE: Another Westcrest Park fire
July 8, 2025 8:04 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

8:04 PM: Multiple texters are reporting another fire at Westcrest Park, again off 8th SW, again with fireworks blamed by neighbors, and one sent the photo above. Highland Park’s Engine 11 is logged to the call – this time categorized as “rubbish fire” – right now.

9:44 PM: Checking the log again, the call finally closed around 9 pm, after an hour and a quarter.

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UPDATE: Fire on west edge of Westcrest Park
July 7, 2025 7:06 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(WSB photos unless otherwise credited)

7:06 PM: Firefighters are at 8th SW/SW Trenton right now, working to put out a “brush fire” on the west edge of Westcrest Park. The smoke was visible for miles as we headed there to check it out. Flames charred the slope at the Trenton street end too, west of a park retaining wall, close to apartment buildings.

Fireworks? 911 callers were reporting “booms.” Police are there investigating, too.

(Reader photo)

8:02 PM: An hour and a half after the first SFD crew arrived, the last one just left. Thanks to D for photo we’ve added above, showing why the smoke was visible from afar -leaping flames at one point.

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Holiday weekend fires: Fifth of July busier in West Seattle than Fourth of July
July 6, 2025 7:09 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

With the holiday weekend ending, we checked the log for the big picture on fire calls to which SFD responded. The log doesn’t have a call category for “fireworks fires,” so we can’t say for sure how many of these were caused by people setting off fireworks. But these are the calls in our area that were categorized as “fire”:

FRIDAY, FOURTH OF JULY

If you noticed that burned, foamed (and obscenely graffitied) car parked on the west side of the 4500 block of California SW in The Junction, it caught fire just after 11:30 pm Friday. It was still there during this morning’s Farmers’ Market, and still there as of late this afternoon (when we researched the call after a tip). Other Fourth of July fires from the log:

1:23 am: “Brush fire” 28th/Trenton
10:16 am: “Bark fire” 7000 block Beach Drive
4:18 pm: “Brush fire” Puget Blvd./Delridge Way
9:39 pm: “Illegal burn” 61st/Alki

SATURDAY, JULY 5

That photo sent today by David shows the area charred Saturday night in what was categorized as a “brush fire” at 28th/Thistle (Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex), dispatched at 8:25 pm. Overall, a more fiery day/night in West Seattle, according to the SFD log. Other calls labeled “fire” on Saturday:

1:14 am: “Brush fire” 34th/Admiral
4:15 am: “Rubbish fire” 59th/Lander
7:02 pm: “Bark fire” 4400 block California SW
8:59 pm: “Brush fire” 6400 block 31st SW
9:43 pm: “4 Red” (midsize non-medical dispatch) 5900 block 31st SW
10:26 pm: “Brush fire” at 3429 45th SW (Madison Middle School’s address)
10:48 pm: “Brush fire” 9000 block 8th SW
11:28 pm: “Brush fire” 28th/Barton

SUNDAY, JULY 6

And here’s what’s on the log through a short time ago (the “brush fire” call just closed out):

2:41 pm: “Shed fire” 5300 block 47th SW
6:33 pm: “Brush fire” West Marginal/Highland Park Way

We have no way to break out the many medical calls to which SFD responded (always a far busier call category for firefighters than actual fires), so we don’t know whether any local calls were fireworks-related, but Harborview Medical Center did send us and other regional media a general total of fireworks injuries HMC had seen (as the regional trauma center):

As of 9 a.m. today, clinicians at Harborview Medical Center had treated 47 people with fireworks-related injuries during the July Fourth holiday weekend.

The injuries are characterized as:

18 involving hands
13 involving eyes
8 involving other body areas
8 involving multiple areas (such as hands and eyes)

No structure fires were reported in our area over the holiday weekend, aside from the “shed fire” listed for Sunday.

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READER REPORT: Explosive-throwers start fire, extinguished by neighbors
July 2, 2025 12:09 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

The scanner is hopping with “explosion” calls all around the peninsula. In this dry time of year, this is what can result, as just reported by Rose in Admiral:

Some jerks drove up to our traffic circle at the corner of 39th and Lander and deliberately threw a loud firework into the dry grasses, which caught fire. The flames consumed about a1/4 of the vegetation before my neighbors and I managed to put it out carrying bowls of water and a watering can because no one’s hose could reach that far. We had it out by the time the firefighters arrived (bless them). The police also arrived.

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UPDATE: Fire callout in North Delridge
July 1, 2025 1:24 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

1:24 AM: Mid-size callout this past half-hour for a fire in the 5000 block of 26th SW. They’ve just declared it “tapped” – out – and assessed it as an “exterior” fire. No injuries reported. We’ll follow up on the cause later this morning.

ADDED: SFD tells us, “Crews were dispatched to 5000 block of 26th Ave SW for a report of a possible electrical fire. They arrived and extinguished a small fire on the exterior of a home. No injuries were reported.”

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UPDATE: Food-truck fire near top of Highland Park Way hill
June 23, 2025 3:43 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Screengrab from SDOT camera)

3:43 PM: Avoid the Highland Park Way hill for a while. SFD has arrived to deal with a very smoky car vehicle fire that’s in the southbound lanes just north of Holden.

3:47 PM: Now that the smoke has cleared, the vehicle with the fire appears to be a food truck. Both sides of the street are blocked right now. No word of any injuries.

3:54 PM: The live camera shows uphill traffic still waiting north of the crash scene; firefighters have asked that police be dispatched to help sort out the traffic situation.

3:56 PM: And now traffic is getting by, one lane each way.

5:43 PM: The burned truck (we couldn’t see its name) has been towed, but city crews have remained to deal with the foamy mess in the outside uphill lane, but they may be clear soon.

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‘Brush fire’ response at Westcrest Park
June 7, 2025 10:51 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Worth noting as dry weather continues, with hotter temperatures on the way – Seattle Fire dispatched four units to Westcrest Park for a brush fire that’s just been extinguished. They identified 8th/Cloverdale and a field with a weight limit, so sounds like it might have been on the reservoir lid. How it started is under investigation.

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UPDATE: Fire callout on 36th SW
May 11, 2025 4:55 am
|    Comments Off on UPDATE: Fire callout on 36th SW
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

4:55 AM: Seattle Fire has sent a sizable response to what they’re describing as a “residential fire” in the 4500 block of 36th SW [vicinity map]. Updates to come.

5:15 AM: Some responders are being dismissed, so this is winding down.

5:30 AM: SFD says the fire was in “a detached shed” and quickly controlled; no injuries reported.

MONDAY UPDATE: SFD says the fire was ruled of “undetermined” origin.

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UPDATE: House fire on 17th SW
April 18, 2025 9:25 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Added: Reader photo)

9:25 PM: What started as a small response in the 8100 block of 17th SW has been upgraded to a full “fire in building” response. Updates to come.

9:27 PM: Firefighters told dispatch the fire is in the one-story house’s basement. … It’s extended through a window and caught the exterior on fire.

9:41 PM: Not out yet. But now one firefighter just radioed that the fire may have started in the “vinyl siding.” Another reiterated the earlier observation that flames came through a window and caught the siding on fire, adding that the basement electrical panel might have factored into it.

9:48 PM: City Light has arrived. The fire is reported to be under control.

10 PM: And now it’s been declared out.

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UPDATE: Brace Point garage-fire response, briefly upsized
April 17, 2025 3:55 pm
|    Comments Off on UPDATE: Brace Point garage-fire response, briefly upsized
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

3:55 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a midsize response to the 9600 block of 50th SW in the Brace Point area [vicinity map] for a garage fire. The initial dispatch described it as a “small gasoline fire in a motor” that spread and caught the structure on fire.

3:58 PM: The first arriving units declared it a “working fire” so they’re sending more units, increasing this to a full “fire in building” response.

4:00 PM: The fire is now declared “under control” so they’re canceling the plan for a larger response. … Firefighters tell dispatch the fire is fully confined to a detached 20 x 20 garage.

4:17 PM: Firefighters just told dispatch the fire’s out (“tapped”).

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Fire callout at Delridge/20th
April 16, 2025 10:51 pm
|    Comments Off on Fire callout at Delridge/20th
 |   Delridge | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

In case you wondered about the sirens – Seattle Fire sent a midsize callout to a reported garage fire at Delridge/20th, near the South Delridge 7-11, but firefighters just told dispatch it turned out to be a “rubbish fire” so they’re dismissing all but one crew.

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UPDATE: Apartment fire south of The Junction, out quickly
April 5, 2025 6:22 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

6:22 PM: What started as a fire-alarm call has been upgraded to a “fire in building” response in The Junction, south of California/Edmunds. The address checks to the Blake Apartments mixed-use building. SFD says the fire is on the 4th floor and is already out. Avoid the area. Updates to come.

(Added: Reader photo)

6:25 PM: SFD is already reducing the response since the fire was extinguished quickly.

6:32 PM: No reported injuries. Police say that since SFD is clearing most units, the area should reopen to traffic before too long.

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UPDATE: House fire on Pigeon Point
March 28, 2025 10:26 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Pigeon Point | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

10:26 PM: A big SFD response is headed for the 3800 block of 20th SW [vicinity map] for a reported house fire. Updates to come.

10:32 PM: Firefighters are focusing efforts on the house’s second floor and attic.

10:40 PM: SFD says the fire is under control and no injuries are involved. “Looks like it was a wall fire,” firefighters also have told dispatch.

10:42 PM: And now the fire’s been declared “tapped” (out).

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About the SFD response on Harbor Island
March 25, 2025 4:46 pm
|    Comments Off on About the SFD response on Harbor Island
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

We weren’t able to mention this in real time but for those who’ve since asked about a big SFD response on Harbor Island earlier this afternoon, it was in the 1600 block of SW Lander [map] shortly after 3 pm, and SFD ultimately discovered it was a vehicle on fire inside what they described as a “warehouse building.” Firefighters extinguished it and no injuries were reported.

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UPDATE: Fire callout on 45th SW, false alarm
March 15, 2025 7:17 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

7:17 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a big callout to the 5200 block of 45th SW, where “a caller reports seeing flames in the living room.” Updates to come.

7:20 PM: They’re reducing the response, saying it’s possibly “a TV” that caught fire (or sparked) but nothing major, and no smoke.

7:23 PM: And now they’ve further discerned that “flames on the TV” actually was “video of flames” … so they’re canceling the whole thing.

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Two deliberately set fires under investigation
March 11, 2025 10:27 pm
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Two cases of deliberately set fires:

(Monday photo by Tim Durkan)

SOUTH DELRIDGE FIRE: As noted in an update earlier on our coverage of Monday afternoon’s fire at a vacant house near 16th/Barton, SFD ruled it was deliberately set, and said they had referred the case to police. We subsequently followed up with SPD; they had not yet assigned the case to a detective. If you have any information, the case number is 25-64894.

STUDENT SUSPECTED OF FIRE-SETTING: SPD released this incident summary tonight:

At 1324 hours, a group of high-school students were on a tour of a community college when unidentified students dared another student to set fire to something in an auditorium. The suspect waited until the auditorium was empty and then proceeded to set fire to a flag/pole. Campus staff smelled the smoke and responded. Security extinguished the fire with no further property damage beyond the lingering smell of smoke and fire extinguisher chemical. The suspect was identified and later released to a parent. ABS was advised of the incident.

According to archived emergency-radio audio, two SFD units were dispatched at 1:20 pm to Olympic Hall on the south end of the South Seattle College campus, and the fire was out before their arrival, so they left quickly.

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UPDATE: House fire in South Delridge at future redevelopment site (updated Tuesday)
March 10, 2025 12:51 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Added: WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)

12:51 PM: Seattle Fire is at the scene of a house fire in the 9000 block of 17th SW. Two people are reported to have gotten out safely. Traffic is blocked in the area, on 16th too. Updates to come.

1:01 PM: An extra hazard in the area reported by SFD – downed power lines at the fire site. They also have just corrected the actual fire location’s address to 9000 block of 16th, though the originally logged address was in that block of 17th.

1:10 PM: The fire has been declared under control. SFD plans to start demobilizing some of the units.

1:22 PM: Though some units are being dismissed, dispatch has just been told that the 16th SW closure at that spot will last for a while, because of not only SFD but also City Light. That means bus detours too.

1:33 PM: The revised address actually checks to this future-development, former-fire site that’s adjacent, at 16th/Barton. (Added – as shown in this photo, with that site in foreground, today’s fire site in the background, looking northwest:)

1:42 PM: They’re reopening 16th now. The fire’s cause is under investigation.

TUESDAY MORNING: SFD says its investigation determined the fire was deliberately set. We’re following up further with SPD.

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Red Cross helping High Point fire victims
February 17, 2025 8:58 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   High Point | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Added: Photo of fire’s aftermath)

A fire just before 5 am displaced six people from their home in a High Point duplex. SFD got the fire in the 6500 block of 30th SW [vicinity map] under control within a few minutes, and no one was hurt, but the Red Cross had to be called in to help the fire victims. No word yet how the top-floor fire started; SFD is keeping a crew there on “fire watch” for a while in case of flare-ups.

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Small fire in West Seattle Junction apartment building
February 1, 2025 7:06 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Image from SDOT camera via @SDOTtraffic)

Thanks for the tips. A briefly large Seattle Fire response was sent to The Junction this past hour for a small fire in a unit at 4730 California SW. The seventh-floor fire was extinguished quickly and most of the responding units were dismissed. This started with a small dispatch to investigate “water flow” (turned out to be the sprinklers) and then was upgraded.

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UPDATE: Big response, ‘small fire’ at Nucor
January 20, 2025 4:36 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

4:36 PM: Seattle Fire has a big response at Nucor. SFD radio says some workers are evacuating and more to follow. Updates to come.

4:39 PM: Incident command says it “appears to be a small fire” but they are working to get power cut to the area where it’s happening.

(Photo texted by Kevin)

4:42 PM: Firefighters have just reported that the fire is “under control.” No injuries reported so far.

(Photo sent by Nona)

4:45 PM: The fire is now reported “tapped” (out). SFD will start demobilizing some of the responders.

5:35 PM: Going back to listen to the initial incident audio, we note the original dispatch was for “an oil fire under a roller in the rolling mill.”

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UPDATE: 2 people to hospital after house fire in 8100 block 16th SW
January 10, 2025 9:26 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(WSB photos/video unless otherwise credited)

9:26 AM: Seattle Fire crews are at a residential fire in the 8100 block of 16th SW and are calling for more backup. Two people are reported to need medical treatment. Avoid the area.

9:32 AM: Firefighters report the fire is under control, but one person “might be unaccounted for” inside the house.

9:37 AM: At least one person will be taken to Harborview by SFD medics.

9:41 AM: Police have been asked to extend the blocking of traffic on 16th SW northward to SW Kenyon.

10 AM: We’re at the scene. Fire out. 2 people taken to hospital. Response winding down.

10:16 AM: Just talked to SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo. The people taken to the hospital are a wife and husband, both 60; he is in critical condition. Their son is the person possibly unaccounted for but may have just shown up nearby (in need of medical attention.)

10:51 AM: Added above, video of the 2-minute media briefing. We have not yet confirmed whether that third person has been found or not. … As noted in comments, Metro has rerouted the 125 and 128 while 16th remains closed at the fire scene.

(Aerial image sent by Craig)

ADDED: No word yet on the cause, but SFD has detailed the response in this post on its blog-format Fireline site.

ADDED: The cause was officially ruled “undetermined,” SFD tells us.

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