January 3, 2013- A Seattle Fire Investigator determined the cause of a fire at an occupied commercial building to be accidental. The fire was caused by creosote buildup in ductwork which most likely was ignited by an operating generator and convection oven.

At 12:04 p.m. on Wednesday January 2, 2013, the first 911 call came in reporting a fire at a 2-story business located at 10500 block of Greenwood Avenue North. Northgate Ladder Company 5 arrived first to find smoke coming from the rear of the structure. The firefighters quickly extinguished the flames in the outside generator. The flames traveled through the building’s ductwork. It took just over a half-an-hour to completely knock down the fire.

The damage was limited to the ductwork and the roof of the building. The damage estimate is $40,000 to the structure and $10,000 to the contents.

There were no injuries.