UPDATED on Mar. 10 at 12 p.m.: Our investigators determined the fire was intentionally set (incendiary). The Seattle Police Department’s Arson Bomb Squad was notified of the fire and will investigate. The Arson Alarm Foundation is offering an award from its annual $10,000 award fund to anyone with information that leads to the arrest or conviction of those responsible for setting recent fires in the vicinity. Call 1-800-55-ARSON or email SFD_FIU@seattle.gov with any information about the fire – you can choose to remain anonymous.
SEATTLE — On Mar. 10 around 2:41 a.m., our Fire Alarm Center dispatchers received multiple 911 calls reporting smoke and flames coming from the lobby of a high-rise apartment building on the 2200 block of 1st Ave. Engines 2, 5 and Ladder 4 were first on scene, and reported a working fire in the first-floor lobby. Crews were able to get water on the fire within four minutes of arriving on scene.
While conducting their primary search of the fire ground, firefighters found and rescued an approx. 50-year-old male in the lobby’s bathroom. Paramedics transported him to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. Two additional patients were treated at the scene for minor injuries related to the fire, but did not require transportation to a hospital.
The fire was fully extinguished within 45 minutes from dispatch. Multiple floors of the apartment building were evacuated due to unsafe smoke and carbon monoxide levels, and were temporarily sheltered in a King County Metro bus. Firefighters utilized high-powered fans to ventilate the building, and residents were able to return to their homes within a few hours.