May 6- A Seattle Fire Investigator determined a fire onboard a decommissioned NOAA vessel was an accidental fire caused by welding operations.

At 9:22 a.m. dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center received a 911 call reporting a fire onboard the 200-foot research vessel which was docked at the NOAA Marina located at 7600 Sand Point Way NE.

The original caller reported paints, paint thinners and acids onboard the vessel. The Hazardous Material Team was dispatched to deal with the potential hazard.

Once on scene, firefighters contained the fire to a 15’ x 50’ x 5’ compartment in the aft of the ship. The room is three floors below the main deck. No hazardous materials were located in the compartment.

Firefighters sealed off the storage compartment and pumped CO2 into the chamber to deprive the fire of oxygen and effectively smolder it. It took two-and-a-half hours to completely extinguish the flames.

The Fire Investigator determined the fire burned tarps and other available combustibles inside the ship. Because the ship is set to be scrapped, the damage estimate is just $100.

Photo Courtesy of Fire Buff John Odegard

Photo Courtesy of Fire Buff John Odegard

At 11:31 p.m., the initial 911 call came into a dispatcher at the Fire Alarm Center reporting a fire in an apartment complex located in the 2200 block of Yale Avenue East. The initial units arriving found heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of the three-story apartment complex.

It took about 25 minutes for firefighters to completely extinguish the flames. The fire extended from an open living room area through a window causing damage to the overhang of the building’s roof. The fire also caused significant smoke and heat damage to the remaining rooms on the same floor.
There were no injuries but two cats were found deceased inside the building.
The fire investigator determined that combustible curtains and a couch ignited after coming into contact with the baseboard heater.

The damage estimate is $150,000 to the structure and $150,000 to the contents.

The Red Cross was called to assist 4 adult females and 4 adult males displaced by the fire.

The Seattle Fire Department’s Public Education Unit advises residents that common sense can prevent a heater fire. All heating systems can start fires if not used and maintained properly. Heating your home during the colder months of the year can prove dangerous, if you do not follow a few simple safety precautions.

Check baseboard heaters often to remove objects that have fallen on top of or near the heater. Remember that any time objects like newspapers, furniture or blankets are close to heaters, a fire can start.

http://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubEd/brochures/homeHeatingSafety.pdf

Beginning at 11:30 a.m., a funeral procession begins at the Harvey Funeral Home located at 509 North 36th Street in Fremont. Engine 24 and the Seattle Police Department will escort the casket from the funeral home to Fire Station 2 located at 2320 4th Avenue. Along the procession route several Fire Engine Companies and Ladder Companies will be stationed with their emergency lights activated and the firefighters standing at attention.

Intersections where Firefighters will be staging along the procession route:

1. Fremont Avenue North and Fremont Place
2. Westbound Nickerson Street and 13th Avenue West
3. Southbound 15th Avenue West and West Galer Street
4. Southbound Elliott West and West Mercer Place
5. Fire Station 2 2340 4th Avenue.

At Noon, Engine 24, Engine 2, Battalion Chief SUV and the funeral hearse will depart Station 2 in route to the funeral. The firefighters will travel South on 4th Avenue and turn right and head West on Bell Street. Next the procession will make a left and travel South on 2nd Avenue to the Christ Our Hope Catholic Church located at 1902 2nd Avenue.

At the corner of 2nd and Virginia, Ladder Company 4 and Ladder Company 10 will cross their aerial ladders and hang a large American flag in honor of Firefighter Hernandez.

At 1 p.m. the funeral service for Firefighter Hernandez will take place at Christ Our Hope Catholic Church. The service is expected to last about 90 minutes. The family of Firefighter Hernandez has asked that the funeral remain a private ceremony for family and friends.

The first 911 call came into the Fire Alarm Center at 10:55 a.m. The caller reported a motorcycle on fire and the flames spreading. Engine Company 39 arrived and found the flames had spread to a dumpster, to the roof of the garage and to the side of the building. The flames burned up the side of the building and extended to the roof. Two condo units suffered extensive fire damage.

While firefighters attacked the fire from the outside from the inside and from the roof, other crews went door-to-door and evacuated all of the residents. Firefighters from Ladder Company 9 rescued a woman and her baby who were trapped inside their fourth-floor apartment by the heavy smoke.

Crews also evacuated several animals including cats and dogs. After extinguishing the heavy flames inside a fourth floor apartment, firefighters from Engine Company 16 found a cat dish and searched for the owner’s pet. Under a bed, the crew found a cat that was barely breathing. Firefighters used a pet oxygen mask to revive the cat and restore the pet’s breathing. A relative of the owner did pick up the cat and will reunite the cat with the owner.

It took about an hour to fully extinguish the flames. Two condo units suffered extensive damage and about four others had smoke and heat damage. The Red Cross was called to assist with temporary housing for the displaced residents. Residents of the other units were allowed to reoccupy their condos.

The damage to the condo complex is estimated at $250,000.

There were no reported injuries.

At 12:30 p.m. the first 911 call came into the Fire Alarm Center reporting smoke and flames coming from a bathroom vent of the home. Engine Company 31 arrived to find light smoke coming from the eaves of the home. The small amount of fire was knocked down in a few minutes.

There were no injuries.

The damage estimate is $10,000 to the structure and $2,000 to the contents.

Photo Courtesy Fire Buff John Odegard

At 10:54 p.m. a call came into the Fire Alarm Center reporting a fire at a house located in the 1200 block of NE 100th Street. A mother and two children safely evacuated the home by the time firefighters arrived.

Photo Courtesy Fire Buff John Odegard

The first arriving engine company found flames shooting from the back and side of the one story home with basement. Firefighters cut holes in the roof to vent off the smoke and hot gases inside the house. It took about an hour to fully extinguish the flames. One firefighter received minor burns while fighting the fire. Medics transported the firefighter to Harborview Medical Center where the firefighter received treatment and was released.

Photo Courtesy Fire Buff John Odegard

After extinguishing the fire, crews found a deceased dog inside the residence. Animal Control took possession of the animal.

Red Cross assisted the family of three with emergency housing, clothing and other needs.

The fire investigator is calling this an accidental fire caused by the overheated electrical outlet which ignited nearby combustibles. The damage estimate is $150,000.

March 5, 2013– Seattle Firefighters rescued a 67-year-old man trapped in his car in a ravine overnight.

At 8:26 a.m. a resident called 911 to report a car through his fence in the 2600 block of NE 120th Street. The neighbor was able to communicate with the driver of the car who indicated he was trapped inside.

Lake City Engine Company 39 and University District Ladder 9 arrived to find the car perched into a ravine. Firefighter enacted a low-angle-rope rescue. Firefighters communicated with the patient who said he was trapped in the car since 12:30 a.m. First, the firefighters stabilized the car with a heavy rope to prevent the vehicle from sliding further into the ravine. Second, crews removed the roof and the steering column of the car to extricate the patient. The driver was lodged underneath the dashboard and indicated he was not able to escape due to the door being jammed and the angle of the car.

Medics evaluated the patient and found he suffered scraped bruises and a black eye. Medics transported the man to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition.

The Seattle Police Department is investigating the cause of the accident.

At 4:13 p.m., the Fire Alarm Center received multiple 911 calls regarding smoke coming from the roof of a two story home with a basement. The home was located in the 5500 block of 20th Avenue NE. Engine Company 17 arrived to find smoke coming from the roof and eaves of the wood-framed home. Immediately firefighters ran a hose line into the burning house and encountered dense black smoke and heavy heat on the first floor. Crews found the first floor kitchen fully-engulfed in flames.

The flames extended into the walls and ceiling of the main floor of the house while smoke billowed throughout the structure and into the attic. Firefighters searched the burning home but did not find anyone inside. It took more than half an hour to knock down the flames.

A dog and cat perished in the fire.

The investigator determined the cause was an electrical supply to a kitchen appliance. The damage estimate is $150,000 to the structure and $200,000 to the contents.

At 8:06 a.m., firefighters were called to a single-story home located in the 2300 block of North 137th Street. The first arriving company found heavy smoke from the front door of the home. No one was inside the house when the fire began. Crews found a fire burning in a downstairs bedroom.

Fire crews knocked down the fire. The bedroom sustained damage to the sheet rock walls and the house sustained heavy smoke damage.

The damage estimate is $45,000 which includes $10,000 to the structure and $35,000 to the contents.
No one was injured.

Link to website: http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/neighborday/

Fire Stations scheduled to be Open.

Waterfront Fire Station 5 925 Alaskan Way

Highpoint Fire Station 11 1514 SW Holden Street

Greenlake Fire Station 16 6846 Oswego Place NE

University District Fire Station 17 1050 NE 50th Street

Ballard Fire Station 18 1521 NW Market Street

Queen Anne Fire Station 20 3205 13th Avenue West

Phinney Ridge Fire Station 21 7304 Greenwood Avenue North

Roanoke Fire Station 22 901 E. Roanoke Street

Bitter Lake Fire Station 24 401 N 130th Street

Capitol Hill Fire Station 25 1300 E. Pine Street

South Park Fire Station 26 800 South Cloverdale Street

Rainier Valley Fire Station 28 5968 Rainier Avenue South

Mount Baker Fire Station 30 2931 Mount Baker Blvd S.

Northgate Fire Station 31 1319 N. Northgate Way

West Seattle Junction Fire Station 32 3715 SW Alaska Street

Rainier Beach Fire Station 33 9645 Renton Avenue South

Crown Hill Fire Station 35 8729 15th Avenue NW

West Seattle Fire Station 37 7700 35th Avenue SW

Hawthorne Hills Fire Station 38 4004 NE 55th Street

Lake City Fire Station 39 2806 NE 127th Street

Fire Station 41 2416 34th Avenue West