Firefighters responded to a fatal fire at 334 Northwest 41st street just after 10:00 a.m. this morning. Heavy black smoke was coming from a two story apartment unit when firefighters arrived. There were initial reports of occupants inside the unit. Firefighters found five deceased victims inside the apartment – a 22 year old woman, a 13-year old boy, a 7-year old girl, a 6-year old girl and a 5-year old boy. Another woman and a 5-year old girl were able to escape from the apartment. They were transported to Harborview Medical Center along with several other family members but were not injured. One firefighter was also transported to Harborview for a minor injury.
A mechanical problem with the first arriving engine caused a short delay in firefighters’ ability to put water on the fire. The engine has been placed out of service.
Fire damage was confined to one apartment. The unit did have smoke alarms. The fire investigation is being conducted by Seattle Fire Investigators and the Seattle Police Arson Bomb Unit.
