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Vapor Fire to Blame Burn Injury at South Park Manufacturing Plant

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August 28- A fire at a South Park manufacturing plant which burned one employee is being called an accidental fire caused by a vapor fire.

At 2:30 p.m. a plant employee called dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center to report a fire with a burn victim at an industrial building in the 500 block of South Monroe Street. When South Park Engine Company 26 arrived, they found white smoke coming from a 2-story industrial building. All of the employees safely evacuated.

Once inside, firefighters did not find any fire.

Witnesses told firefighters that an employee drove the burn patient to Harborview Medical Center in a personal car. The approximately 40-year-old burn patient arrived at Harborview with 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his arms, hands and face.

The cause of the fire was an employee using an open flame to melt plastic tubing that contained isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol vapors ignited causing the burn to the employee and $10,000 in damage to the contents of the building.

Firefighters Protect Central District Apartment Complex from Garage Fire

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UPDATE: Patient’s age was updated to 54-years-old from intitial on scene reports.

July 30—Seattle Fire Investigators determined improperly discarded smoking materials caused a fire in an above-the-garage apartment in the Central District.

Multiple 911 calls came in at 12:52 a.m. reporting flames and smoke coming from a detached garage roof in the alley of a home located in the 800 block of 17th Avenue. Engine Company 25 arrived to find flames shooting from the roof and into the trees above the garage. The flames were also exposing to an apartment complex to the south of the garage.

A neighbor notified the firefighters that a person was living in the space above the garage. Firefighters immediately searched the structure and rescued a 54-year-old male occupant at the bottom of the staircase of the building. The patient suffered 2nd degree burns and smoke inhalation. Medics transported the patient to Harborview Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Within 20 minutes firefighters contained the flames and they completely extinguished the fire within 45 minutes. Crews were able to protect the apartment complex to the South and prevented the flames from spreading from the garage roof to the multiplex.

Fire Investigators were able to speak to the patient at the hospital and discovered he was smoking in bed prior to the fire starting. The cause is considered accidental. The damage estimate is $40,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents.

Firefighters remained on the scene until 8 a.m. in a Fire Watch to ensure the fire didn’t rekindle.