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Seattle firefighters battle 4-alarm fire in north Queen Anne

SEATTLE – Firefighters from stations throughout the City responded to north Queen Anne on Saturday, Nov. 10 for a 4-alarm fire in a lumber yard. The Fire Alarm Center received a call just after 8:40 p.m. reporting flames visible from a structure along the ship canal at the 3500 Block of 6th Ave. W. The engine company from the Ballard Fire Station arrived first on scene and reported flames up to 100-feet in the air from a fully involved warehouse. They quickly upgraded the response to a 2-alarm, which was shortly after upgraded to a 3-alarm then 4-alarm.

At the height of the incident, a total of three buildings and two large sheds were on fire. The contents in the structures were primarily lumber, and owned by Gascoigne Lumber Company and Northwest Millworks. The massive amount of combustible materials caused the fire to spread more quickly. Two of the structures collapsed.

Crews fought the fire defensively from outside of the structures, putting water on the fire from all angles. Engine and ladder companies used hose lines and ladder pipes, and the fireboat arrived to attack it from the waterfront. Due to the large amount of fire, firefighters were unable to search the structures, though there was no report of occupants inside from witnesses on scene.

Seattle’s Resource Management Center was activated, which helped bring in resources from outside of the City to help staff fire stations for every day emergencies. Units arrived from the south side and east side of the County. Seattle Police assisted on scene with traffic control and on the water front by protecting boats moored on the ship canal. Seattle City Light responded to shut-off power to the immediate area, as multiple power lines had caught fire.

“I am impressed by the hard work of all firefighters involved in the response,” said Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, “thank you to Seattle Police, Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities and our partner fire agencies in King County for helping to keep the Seattle community safe.”

Fire and smoke could be seen from areas throughout the City. An AlertSeattle message was issued to a half-mile radius from the incident, which directed people to close their windows and doors to avoid smoke exposure.

As of 8 a.m. on Nov. 11, crews are still on scene working to fully extinguish the fire. Fire investigators have responded and will begin their lengthy investigation once the fire is completely extinguished. For further updates on this incident, follow the Seattle Fire Department’s Twitter page at twitter.com/seattlefire.