3-alarm commercial building fire in Ballard/Fremont neighborhoods

Photo courtesy of John Odegard.

SEATTLE – At 5:17 p.m., the Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Alarm Center received 911 calls reporting smoke and flames visible from a commercial building in the 800 block of N.W. 42^nd St., on the border of the Ballard and Fremont neighborhoods. Engine 18 was closest to the scene and reported a large column of black smoke as they approached. They arrived first and confirmed a working commercial fire with large flames and smoke visible.

Command reported it was a wind driven fire that was quickly escalating. At 5:26 p.m., the Battalion 4 Chief upgraded the response to a 2-alarm fire. Additional units were added to the response. They moved to a defensive attack and all firefighters retreated from the structure and began to fight the fire from the exterior.

At 5:36 p.m., with the incident continuing to escalate, command upgraded the response to a 3-alarm fire as they worked to get the flames under control. Shortly after, the roof of the south side of the building collapsed.

Due to the fire’s proximity to the Ship Canal, Fireboat 1 was dispatched. The fireboat pumped water directly from the Ship Canal and fed it through hose line to engines and ladder trucks, establishing a consistent water supply.

The fire was under control by 7:39 p.m., and several units returned to service.

One firefighter reported a minor injury and was checked out by an aid crew. No transport was necessary.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the incident, in addition to Aid Units, Medic Units, command and support staff.

An Alert Seattle notification was sent to residents and businesses in the area to encourage them to close doors and windows to avoid smoke. To sign up to receive Alert Seattle notifications visit: https://alert.seattle.gov.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Crews will remain on scene through the night and monitor for any potential hot spots or flare ups.

Updated June 16: Investigators determined the cause of the fire as accidental. The fire originated inside the occupied warehouse on shelves containing flammable substances.