SEATTLE – On July 1 just after 9 p.m., crews responded to the 300 Blk. of Lakeside Ave. for a seaplane that had crashed into Lake Washington. When firefighters arrived and saw the flipped seaplane approximately 200-300 yards from shore, they saw one person standing on top of the plane. Responding crews quickly received reports that there were two total occupants who were uninjured. Both of the adults were able to self-extricate from the plane prior to SFD arrival and were quickly brought to safety by bystanders on private boats in the area. They did not require any medical assistance.

Seattle’s Fireboat responded to the scene to place a containment boom around a fuel leak which occurred as a result of the crash. The owner of the boat will hire a private salvage company to remove the plane.

Seattle Police Harbor Patrol also responded to the scene, and will have information on the extent of any investigation that may be conducted. The United States Coast Guard, Department of Ecology, Environmental Protection Agency and National Transportation Safety Board were all notified of the incident.

SEATTLE – At least eight set fires occurred in South Seattle (one in the Central District/Capitol Hill) on June 22 – June 24. The majority of the fires were located on or near Rainier Ave. S. The fires were either set to debris or in garbage or dumpster receptacles, and three of the eight were located at or in close proximity to construction sites. The Seattle Fire Department has published an online interactive map with more details about the location, date and description of each fire.

NOTE: view the map for the most updated list of fires. The map will continue to be updated on a daily basis if additional set fires occur. Fires will only be added to this list once an official “incendiary” ruling is released by the department’s Fire Investigation Unit. Additionally, not all fires in the area may be included, due to the ruling of some being “undetermined” or “accidental”.

In light of this information, Seattle fire and police departments are encouraging construction sites, businesses and residents to take steps to prevent arson fires:

BEFORE A FIRE:  

• Secure business and garage areas by locking doors and windows.  
• Clean up wastepaper, grasses, weeds, litter, or any combustibles from around buildings and at construction sites.  
• Secure security fencing at construction sites.
• Install or activate motion-sensored lights and/or cameras at construction sites and businesses.  
• Do not allow dumpsters to become overfilled. Locate commercial dumpsters and containers at least five feet away from combustible walls and roof eave lines. Use only metal or metal-lined receptacles.  
• Place locks on commercial dumpsters or keep in secured area.  
• Test fire and life safety systems, including fire extinguishers and smoke alarms, to ensure they are working.  
• Develop and practice a fire escape plan.  
• Keep exit ways clear of boxes and other debris which could hamper evacuation.

IF A FIRE OCCURS:

• Implement your fire evacuation plan, and exit the building.  
• Call 911 to report the location of the fire. If the fire is inside a structure, report to 911 and responding crews if anyone could still be inside.  

The Seattle Police Department and Fire Department are investigating the crimes. Please report any information you believe may be related to arson to SPD’s Arson and Bomb Squad at (206) 684-8980. Persons providing information may remain anonymous.

Follow twitter.com/seattlefire and twitter.com/seattlepd for updates on significant incidents.  

SEATTLE – On June 26 at 12 p.m., the City of Seattle Office of Emergency Management will send a test message through the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system. The alert will only be sent to those who have opted in to receive local test messages through WEA, and to a small geographic area under and near the West Seattle Bridge. The message will state: “This is a test of Wireless Emergency Alerts by the City of Seattle. No action is required.” 

The national WEA system is an essential part of the City’s emergency preparedness and response. This public safety system allows customers who own compatible devices to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area. The most common example of these alerts is the “Amber Alerts” sent by Washington State Patrol that directly ping mobile phones.  

Though not predicted, the City has emergency plans in place to use the WEA and AlertSeattle systems among other methods to notify people under or near the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge in the event of an immediate collapse. The City has successfully used the system several times in 2020, though it’s important to test the geographical capabilities of the system to ensure the correct area is targeted. Twenty volunteers from Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management Auxiliary Communication Services will stage in locations on and surrounding Harbor Island during the test to confirm receipt of the message. Results will be collected by Seattle OEM to determine the reach of the system.  

Mobile phone users who are in the geographical area and would like to receive the test message must take steps to enable the option on their phone. The capability of a phone to receive local test messages depends on the brand and model, as well as phone carrier. Review the instruction manual for the phone for information on how to enable this feature. Basic information for Apple and Android Phones is below:  

Apple iPhone:  

• To turn it on: Enter *5005*25371# and tap the green phone icon. You’ll get an alert that says “Test alerts enabled.”  
• To turn it off: Enter *5005*25370# and tap the green phone icon. You’ll get an alert that says “Test alerts disabled.”  

Androids: 

• Go to “Settings” > “Apps and Notifications” > “Advanced” > “Wireless Emergency Alerts” and then switch “State/local test” option to ON. 
   

Members of the public are encouraged to proactively sign-up for AlertSeattle to receive emergency notifications from the City of Seattle: alert.seattle.gov.  

The Seattle Fire Department policy for Scenes of Violence is to wait for law enforcement to secure the scene before sending crews in to respond. For the safety of our crews, this is also in effect for fire and medical emergencies at East Olive Street, East Pine Street and East Pike Street from 13th Avenue to Nagel Place which includes the area on 10th Avenue and the south end of Cal Anderson Park. Our crews do not have training to go into a volatile situation to extract patients, which is why we have instructed people to walk or bring the patients to the perimeter of the crowd or transport in a private vehicle to the hospital to expedite medical treatment.

For the June 20 shooting, we can confirm that our units did not leave the perimeter of the scene until we received a report from one of our medic units located at Harborview Medical Center that the two shooting victims had arrived via private vehicles.

Our mission is to save lives and protect property, but we must keep our firefighters and paramedics safe so we can continue to help people. This was a scene where the risk was too high to commit our crews to respond in without a police escort.

This is a very dynamic and tough situation for our crews, and has led us to think outside of our normal response strategies to ensure patients receive medical treatment. In an effort to expedite medical care for patients requiring transport to a hospital, last night we loaned two sets of a wheeled stretcher and basic medical supplies to a group of volunteers providing first aid within the vicinity. Additionally, we had previously provided mega movers (for moving patients) and fire extinguishers to this same group. We have also pre-designated patient collection points for our crews to meet the volunteer medical staff just outside the boundaries of the designated area. We can confirm that these locations have been communicated to the volunteer medical staff. For security reasons and to avoid a large crowd gathering at these locations, we are not sharing publicly where they are located.

Seattle Fire Department (SFD) incident numbers: F200060405 & F200060396  

**Please note: This information is preliminary and will be supplemented and expanded in the coming days as the homicide investigation progresses. SPD initially entered the scene but was unable to secure the location for SFD medics. Each department can largely provide secondhand reports of events occurring inside the occupied area from witnesses to the events and video footage. It will be updated with any additional information provided by SPD as the investigation continues.**  

On June 20, 2020 at approximately 2:19 a.m., 9-1-1 received reports of a shooting at 10^th Ave and E. Pine St. SPD officers responded to the scene and SFD dispatch was notified.    

Due to SFD’s existing policy of staging and requesting law enforcement to first secure the scene before entering for scenes of violence, fire units began staging near the perimeter at 2:23 a.m. This is a standard procedure for any scene of violence and is also currently in place for any fire and medical emergency inside the area deemed the CHOP due to firefighter safety.  

Between 2:26 and 2:28 a.m. SPD officers staged at 12^th Ave and Cherry St. and initially entered the scene but were unable to secure the location for SFD medics. Simultaneously, volunteer medics provided medical assistance to the first gunshot victim. The first victim was transported via a private vehicle and arrived at 2:42 a.m. at Harborview Medical Center. The first victim was pronounced deceased at Harborview Medical Center at 2:53 a.m. 

There were multiple 9-1-1 calls, and at approximately 2:51 a.m., reports surfaced of a second gunshot victim nearby at 11^th and Pike. SPD officers and SFD medics were already on the scene staging due to the previous call and needed SPD presence to enter the scene. Simultaneously, the second victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center in a private vehicle and arrived with a major gunshot wound at 3:06 a.m. The victim is in critical condition.  

Anyone with information about this shooting, or who may have video, is asked to contact the Seattle Police Department’s Violent Crime tip line at (206) 233-5000. You can read the SPD blotter post here.