West Seattle, Washington
06 Monday
3:28 PM: Big Seattle Fire callout to the 2900 block of SW Florida. 911 log calls it a haz-mat response. More to come.
3:31 PM: Scanner says an unknown substance sprayed on a worker at Terminal 5.
3:48 PM: “Cutting fluid” is what’s suspected to be involved. Via Twitter, SFD says the worker’s “symptoms are minor.”
5:07 PM: No additional official info, but after an hour and a half, the incident is now closed.
(Photo substituted 9:27 am for traffic-camera image that was here previously)
8:32 AM: Huge response, including units from across the bridge, rushing to 3922 SW Alaska – the Spruce construction site. The callout is for a “major natural-gas leak.” Updates shortly.
8:50 AM: Added the traffic camera showing emergency vehicles on the north side of Alaska.
8:58 AM: Our crew says Puget Sound Energy has just arrived, and workers from the site are across the street by Trader Joe’s until they get the all-clear:
Traffic IS getting by.
9:13 AM: Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore says crews shut off the gas before PSE arrived. No injuries reported.
1:08 PM: Thanks to Diane and Keith for the tip: Police and fire are blocking 37th in Admiral, near Hinds (map), in the aftermath of a crash. Diane reports a private ambulance has arrived – no medic unit was dispatched, indicating no life-threatening injuries – and that there’s debris in the street. So if you have to get around in that area, avoid 37th for a while.
2:16 PM UPDATE: The road’s open again, Diane reports. And Keith sent photos that we’re adding – in the one immediately above this paragraph, he says the car in the background by the ambulance also was damaged. Both mention one person transported by ambulance.
(Substituted for original “live” picture: Image captured when SFD was still on scene)
10:22 PM: As the “live” camera shows – there’s an emergency response near Walking On Logs alongside the west end of the West Seattle Bridge. It started as a heavy-rescue call, but that was reduced; one caller tells us it’s a rollover – we have a crew en route to check.
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB – note the vehicle on its side, at left)
10:35 PM: No injuries reported – the fire units have all been canceled, and a tow truck is being summoned. The scene is all but inaccessible from the West Seattle side but we note via the traffic camera’s live picture that the car is still visible, on its side. At the top of this story, we’re substituting a frame grab from about 15 minutes ago, when fire units were still on scene.
11:08 PM: Added photos by Christopher Boffoli, who said public-safety personnel at the scene mentioned the vehicle’s occupants had crawled out – which explains why the “heavy rescue” call was canceled. The vehicle’s been towed and traffic is again flowing normally in the area, described by Christopher as about 30 feet from Walking on Logs.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
10:58 AM: Big fire callout to 4611 35th SW, which is the Emeritus Senior Living facility. Arriving units did not find any obvious sign of fire – sounds like they might have found a bit of smoke in a sixth-floor laundry room – possibly an electrical problem. We’re en route to check.
11:05 AM UPDATE: Most of the fire units have been dismissed (we’re heading north on 35th and have already passed Engines 11 and 37 heading back to their stations). We’re now arriving in the area just north of Alaska on 35th and two units are still visible outside the building. No traffic effects.
12:07 PM: Tim Clemans was at the open house at Station 32 nearby when they got the call for this – here’s what Tim recorded via Google Glass:
Since it initially went out as a “fire in building” call, that meant a huge response just in case – not just from the nearest station (this one) but from others in West Seattle as well as specialized equipment from across the bridge. Meantime, SFD wrapped up after clearing the smoke generated by the laundry-room problem
6:18 PM: Police and fire are at a crash on Harbor Avenue near the 7-11. A report from the scene says three vehicles are involved and “debris everywhere” – avoid the area TFN.
6:25 PM UPDATE: Our tipster says traffic is getting through, one lane down the middle.
7:03 PM UPDATE: At the scene, police confirmed no injuries. Traffic indeed is getting by, with the damaged cars on the side.
(Photo courtesy Michael Riedel)
5:47 PM: Seattle Fire is on a “fire in single/family residence” call in the 9000 block of 16th SW. More to come.
6:18 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Mike for updates in comments while we were en route. 16th is blocked by the Salvation Army building. No reports of injuries; we are told it was a very small fire in a boarded-up structure on the alley. Some of the SFD units are now leaving.
6:39 PM UPDATE: Mike reports 16th SW reopened (shortly after we left).
(1st photo in, from Patricia – thanks!)
2:58 PM: Seattle Fire crews are responding to a report of a car hitting a building in the 9000 block of 25th SW, with a “heavy rescue” response.
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
3:02 PM: It’s a car into the front window of Pet Pros at Westwood Village, according to texters and address cross-reference. No injuries reported so far. Thanks to Patricia for the top photo.
3:12 PM: Our crew is there and confirms nobody hurt. The car has already been backed away, though the sidewalk there is blocked off for cleanup (thanks to the person who texted the photo above this line).
(Another photo added: Jessie shared the view from across 25th SW – thanks!)
Police are still talking with people to determine whether this was a case of hitting the wrong pedal, a medical problem, or something else.
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
3:33 PM: It’s now a cleanup scene – all that broken glass you see above, for examples. Also lots of onlookers, and at least one TV crew. We’re told the store is closed right now (we’ll check back later). In case you were trying to remember (we were), we looked up the date for a somewhat similar incident at the Westwood post office – May of last year.
12:52 PM: If you’ve seen/heard the big fire response, it’s for a house in the 2700 block of SW Kenyon (map), but most of the units have just been canceled. We’re checking it out.
12:58 PM UPDATE: Described on the scanner as a mattress fire.
1:16 PM UPDATE: Added photo. Fire’s out, no major damage, no injuries reported.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: See our Tuesday followup here)
(Photo courtesy Jason)
6:52 AM: Police and fire have responded to a crash at Olson/Roxbury (map), with a sizable “heavy rescue” dispatch. According to radio communications, three people are being taken to the hospital. More to come.
7:19 AM: Thanks to Jason for sending the top photo taken during the rescue. We are just back from the scene, where the wrecked Lexus is about to be pulled the rest of the way out of the off-the-road spot where it crashed among trees; police told us they expect to have the road reopened soon, but for now the Olson/1st hill down to/up from Highway 509 is blocked.
(This photo & next by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
This crash comes less than a week after SDOT officially launched the SW Roxbury safety project with a meeting a few blocks to the east.
7:29 AM: Police just announced “all lanes are open.” We don’t know the victims’ conditions but the crash did not trigger the type of major investigation that would usually follow if anyone had life-threatening injuries.
(Added: Reader video shared via e-mail – it rotates to correct angle quickly)
8:53 AM: Fire crews are rushing to the 1300 block of Alki Avenue SW (map), where a garage fire is reported. First crews on scene say it’s the garage for a home, and they’re seeing smoke. Note that the initial response is likely blocking traffic both ways – they’re calling for police to help with that – so you’ll want to avoid that stretch of the beachfront boulevard.
9 AM: Our crew is en route; via scanner, crews at the scene say the fire’s under control and they’re checking to be certain it didn’t spread.
9:10 AM: The fire is “tapped” – which basically means out. Our crew has arrived and is told nobody was home when it happened; we’ve confirmed, no injuries. Damage and cause are still being assessed. The 1300 block of Alki is still closed to traffic because of fire units.
9:31 AM: Fire crews say the garage contained “miscellaneous” items and that damage is estimated at $5,000.
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
1:02 PM: If you’re wondering why multiple Seattle Fire Department units rushed to West Seattle Athletic Club – it’s dispatched as a fire alarm having gone off, but described on radio communications as involving a suspected sprinkler-pipe problem. We have a crew checking it out.
1:16 PM: Christopher Boffoli reports that while an alarm bell is still sounding at the club, and staff confirms a broken pipe, they “say otherwise they are open and things are business as usual.”
1:46 PM: Adding a few more photos, including this one as a side note – the icy/salted SW Yancy hill just west of the club:
The call is now closed out on the 911 log, meaning SFD crews have departed.
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
8:16 PM: Fire and police are on the way to a “heavy rescue” incident at California/SW 106th. More as we get it.
8:47 PM: One-car crash; a man drove into a rock wall.
He was not seriously injured but was being given a field-sobriety test while our crews were there, and was handcuffed and taken into custody after that.
11:03 PM: Updating the location to California/107th, rather than 106th as dispatched. Christopher pointed this out but we had failed to note it here until commenter Gordon mentioned it.
(WSB photos, added 1:44 pm)
1:02 PM: Police are looking right now for someone who is reported to have held up or tried to hold up a neighborhood grocery store in the 9000 block of 16th SW. He is described as a white man, about 18 years old, six feet tall, heavy, with a white hoodie and blue jeans, and a “small black gun,” last seen heading eastbound on Henderson. More as we get it.
1:10 PM: From scanner – the robber might be in the company of a young woman about the same age, also in a white hoodie, possibly carrying a guitar case. A K-9 team has arrived to help with the search.
1:49 PM: The K-9 team reported the trail ran out between two nearby houses, and has departed. No word of arrests so far.
(THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE: Adding info from Tukwila PD re: injured officer, more)
(Crash scene on westbound bridge curve, photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
6:59 PM: Thanks for all the tips about a big police/fire response on the westbound bridge near the Admiral exit – it’s on the 911 log as a crash -working to find out more.
(Part of the search scene off the bridge near Admiral/Manning, photo by Patrick Sand)
7:03 PM: This was a pursuit involving a pickup truck, we’ve learned, and the suspect reportedly went down the bridge, which is why police are searching beneath it, near where Avalon meets the bridge. We’re told the crash scene appears to involve a police vehicle.
7:10 PM: Comments have more information about what was seen unfolding and confirm the police vehicle involvement. There also is at least one helicopter in the area.
7:20 PM: Access is blocked off for some of the neighborhoods beneath the bridge – Bradford, Manning.
7:33 PM: From our crew covering this – the truck involved in the crash was stolen and had rammed a Tukwila Police vehicle. As commenters are saying (read below), the truck was seen dodging between vehicles on the westbound bridge, with officers in pursuit, before the crash.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
7:41 PM: The bridge is closed westbound before Admiral because of this – you will have to get off via Delridge.
7:50 PM: With the SPD Traffic Collision Investigation Squad investigating this, chances are the bridge will be closed westbound for a few hours, so if you are headed this way any time before late evening, plan an alternate route.
7:55 PM: An update from Seattle Police via Twitter:
Collision occurred after @KingCoSheriff , Tukwila PD pursued stolen car, car collided with police car. Suspect is in custody.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) January 30, 2014
8:01 PM: As noted by commenters, it’s believed the white truck that was being chased hit at least two other vehicles. No word of major injuries so far. Also an update from commenters: The closure is now after the Admiral/Harbor exit- you can get off there now.
8:19 PM UPDATE: Just talked to SPD’s Det. Mark Jamieson. He says a Tukwila Police officer was hurt, apparently in the foot chase that followed the crash. SPD is handling the crash investigation, but the rest of the case involves King County Sheriffs/Tukwila PD – Jamieson did not know where the pursuit began. No details yet on the person who is in custody.
(WSB video from back seat while going eastbound past investigation/crash scene)
9 PM UPDATE: Adding more photos. We just headed eastbound on the bridge for a passing glimpse at how it’s going, and the bridge remains closed just west of the Admiral exit, with investigators working at the scene. The previous search scene below the bridge is clear and open again, by the way, in case you weren’t sure. Also, though some comment discussion wondered about a suspect jumping off the bridge, no, Det. Jamieson said, their understanding was what we had reported – the suspect fled down the ramp.
10:28 PM UPDATE: Police have announced via radio communications that the bridge is reopening. Meantime, our partners at The Seattle Times report that this began in the Southcenter Mall area; Tukwila Police began pursuing the stolen vehicle northbound on I-5 and continued westbound onto the West Seattle Bridge.
8:37 AM THURSDAY: We’re checking with Tukwila PD for any additional details. For starters – spokesperson Mike Murphy tells us the officer who was hurt “is fine” and already out of the hospital. Otherwise, this news release excerpt from overnight is all TPD has so far:
Tukwila Officers responded to the Westfield Mall/Southcenter area to reports of a stolen vehicle. Officers located the stolen vehicle, and attempted to make a high-risk stop. The vehicle failed to stop for the officers and started northbound on Interstate 5.
Officers continued to follow and attempt to stop the stolen truck as it traveled on Interstate 5 towards Seattle. The fleeing vehicle then continued onto the West Seattle Bridge. The truck then lost control and crashed on the bridge. As the police vehicles were arriving, the stolen truck drove at one of the police vehicles, and rammed it. The suspects in the stolen truck then fled on foot after ramming the police vehicle, and all were quickly apprehended. All suspects are in custody.
9:31 AM: And a little more info about the two people arrested – a 26-year-old woman from Federal Way was driving and faces charges, Murphy says, including felony eluding and possession of suspected methamphetamine. The passenger, also facing charges, is a 23-year-old man from Seattle.
5:32 PM: Another crash reported on 35th SW. Radio communications describe this as involving a car and motorcycle. 35th is blocked at Othello. More to come.
5:45 PM: 35th is closed at Myrtle on the north side of crash scene and (updated) at Webster on the south side. The car’s driver was also hurt. It is in the northbound lanes while the motorcycle is down on the northwest corner (in the background of top photo).
5:59 PM: Police at the scene tell us the motorcycle rider is the only person who had to be taken to the hospital; the rider’s injuries apparently are not life-threatening, as the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is NOT being called out. They have called for tow trucks and expect the road to reopen once the car and motorcycle are cleared. Preliminary investigation, they said, showed the motorcyclist was rear-ended while trying to turn, and thrown into the path of a second car (the one in the foreground of our photo).
6:29 PM: Police are reopening 35th.
(UPDATED Sunday night with new information from SFD)
Seattle Fire crews are arriving at the scene of a house-fire call in the 9400 block of 30th SW (map). Via scanner, they say everyone’s safely out of the house. More to come.
7:55 AM UPDATE: The house is just north of Roxhill Elementary. The fire’s in the attic, according to radio communications, and crews believe they “have the bulk of it under control.”
8:02 AM UPDATE: Our crew has arrived and sent the photo we added above. Most of the activity is in the area of the house’s garage, they say.
Meantime, in radio communications, crews on scene have declared the fire “tapped.” No injuries reported. The Red Cross is being called to help the residents (described so far as three adults).
8:30 AM UPDATE: Firefighters are in mop-up mode.
(Firefighters who went into the attic wound up covered in insulation material that had to be hosed off)
No word yet on how this started – they’ve been awaiting the SFD investigator. We’ve just spoken at the scene with SFD spokesperson Lt. Sue Stangl, who says the residents are three members of a family and that neighbors were first to see the smoke and call it in.
9:31 AM: Added – more photos, and video of Lt. Stangl’s interview with us and the only other media crew at the scene (they were from KIRO TV). We will update the story again whenever information about the fire’s cause is available.
6:46 PM UPDATE: Fire investigators have ruled this accidental and confirmed that it started in the garage, spread to the house. Damage is estimated at $300,000 – $200,000 to the house, $100,000 to what was inside.
(Photo from @UmangJDesai via Twitter)
4:25 PM: Thanks for the tips – there’s been a crash at 42nd/Alaska, reportedly involving a pedestrian. At least 1 tv chopper checked it out. Avoid the area for a while.
4:32 PM UPDATE: The woman who was hit is not believed to have life-threatening injuries.
5:18 PM UPDATE: Just checked; scene is clear.
From Pigeon Point and Puget Ridge in particular, you might have heard or seen a big Seattle Fire response this past hour. They were called out to a spot on the Duwamish River right under the West Seattle Bridge, described by SFD via Twitter as “27-foot sailboat drifted into bridge abutment on the Duwamish. No injuries.” The SFD fireboat Chief Seattle was called in to help get the sailboat to shore.
(UPDATED MONDAY MORNING with police announcement that pedestrian died)
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand, looking southeast from 35th/Graham)
9:34 PM: A car-pedestrian crash at 35th and Graham has closed 35th, at Morgan on the south.
(This photo and next one by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
9:41 PM: The pedestrian has been taken to Harborview. Injuries are serious enough that the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is being called out, so 35th may be closed a while, between Morgan and just north of Graham.
10:25 PM: Christopher Boffoli is at the scene now for WSB and says police tell him the victim is in surgery with injuries including broken leg, broken pelvis, and internal bleeding.
12:44 AM: Just went back over to check; 35th is still closed between Morgan and Raymond.
8:21 AM: Seattle Police say this morning that the pedestrian died. From the update on SPD Blotter:
At around 9:15 pm, a Ford sedan was traveling northbound on 35th Avenue SW. As the Ford entered the intersection of SW Graham Street, the Ford struck a pedestrian. The Seattle Fire Department responded and transported the man to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Unfortunately, the man succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
As is routine, a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) officer responded to the scene and evaluated the male driver of the Ford. There were no signs of any impairment on the part of the driver.
This is the same intersection where a bicycle rider was killed in 2006 after colliding with a van.
8:55 AM: SPD did not have ages for either the driver or the pedestrian at the time of its update. Seattle Fire tells us the pedestrian was 69 years old.
5:58 PM: The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identifies him as James R. St. Clair.
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB – 1st one substituted for original phone photo)
8:14 PM: If you’re heading toward Highway 509 southbound to Burien, or the 1st Avenue South Bridge, heads-up – there’s a “heavy rescue” response at Olson/Myers (map), which is just past the east end of Roxbury.
8:39 PM: Just added our first photo from Christopher Boffoli on the scene – showing the rescue response on the downhill (northeastbound) side.
8:46 PM: Christopher reports that the State Patrol responded as did Seattle Fire: “Single-car rollover. Looks like a second vehicle got clipped. Three victims transported with non-life-threatening injuries including an infant.”
9:03 PM: WSP confirms minor injuries and says the road should reopen within half an hour or so.
ORIGINAL REPORT< 5:02 PM: A medic response and possible gas leak have Avalon blocked north of Genesee. Buses are being rerouted.
5:10 PM: The area where an odor, possibly gas, is detectable is the same area where a possible leak caused trouble some months back – the former church on the east side of Avalon. We should know more shortly – SFD public information officers have arrived.
5:22 PM: SFD’s Lt. Sue Stangl confirmed to WSB at the scene that this incident involves suicide – the natural gas was running, to the point where it was dangerous outside the apartment where it happened. The air has to clear to a safe level before the road can reopen. Medics tried but were unable to revive the victim. (If you or someone you know considers self-harm, 206-461-3222 is the Crisis Clinic‘s 24-hour line.)
5:41 PM: The road has reopened; Metro has resumed normal routing.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
1:03 PM: Big Seattle Fire response on the way to check out a possible fire incident at the Alaska House apartments, 4545 42nd SW, just north of Junction Plaza Park.
(Added: Photo that Charles took as the initial response continued to arrive)
1:08 PM: The response is being scaled back, escept for four units – likely “food on the stove.”
1:17 PM: SFD confirms that. Christopher Boffoli, on scene for WSB, was told by a resident that a maintenance worker saw smoke coming from a unit and called SFD. Thank you to everyone who messaged us on this – including two WSB’ers who saw the specialized SFD units crossing the West Seattle Bridge and knew that was a sure sign of a potentially major call.
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