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News and events from the Seattle Fire Department

W. Seattle Apartment Complex Caused by Electrical Malfunction in Kitchen

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April 29—Seattle Fire Investigators determined an early morning apartment fire in West Seattle was caused by an electrical malfunction in the kitchen range which ignited combustible materials in the kitchen. Investigators say the kitchen fire extended to the living room of the bottom level unit. The fire is being ruled accidental.

At 2:10 a.m. a 911 call came into a dispatcher at the Fire Alarm Center reporting a fire at the four-story complex located in the 9000 block of 35th Avenue SW. Ladder Company 11 arrived to find heavy smoke inside the complex and flames coming from a bottom level unit. It took 12 minutes to knock down the flames and an hour to completely extinguish the fire inside the first floor unit. Firefighters were able to contain the flames to the one unit.

32 people were displaced when smoke filled the hallways of the complex. A Seattle Public Library staff member opened up a classroom at the Southwest Branch, located across the street from the apartment complex, to temporarily shelter the evacuated residents. A King County Metro Bus was brought in to keep the residents warm.

The apartment resident says a smoke detector alerted her to the fire which allowed her to safely escape. The Red Cross was called to assist the one resident with temporary shelter.

The damage estimate is $47,000.

Seattle Fire Investigators Determine Beacon Hill Apartment Fire Caused by Stovetop Burner

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March 5—Seattle Fire Investigators determined a fire at a Beacon Hill apartment complex was accidentally set. The first 911 call came in at 10:23 a.m. reporting smoke from the single story 8 unit apartment complex located in the 1300 block of 13th Avenue South.

Engine Company 6 arrived first to find heavy smoke coming from front door of one of the 8 units. Firefighters made forcible entry and extinguished the flames in less than 5 minutes. No one was inside the unit when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to just the stove area of the apartment.

The investigators determined a homeowner accidentally ignited a burner on the stove and left the home. Combustible materials on the stovetop ignited causing $25,000 in damage.

There were no reported injuries.

Unattended Candles to Blame for Queen Anne Hill Apartment Complex Fire

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January 16—Seattle Fire Investigators determined unattended candles are to blame for an early morning fire on top of Queen Anne Hill. At 3:44 a.m., a call came into Fire Dispatchers reporting a person was trapped inside a second floor unit apartment.

Engine Company 8 arrived to find flames coming from a second floor unit. Firefighters rushed inside and found heavy black smoke filling the entire second floor of the 4-story apartment complex located at 23 West Galer Street.

Firefighters quickly went door to door to make sure the approximately 3 dozen residents evacuated from the building. Ladder Company 4 Firefighters quickly extended a ladder to the second floor to evacuate a male in his 30’s who lived in the unit right next door to the apartment on fire. Medics checked out evacuated residents but none of them required medical treatment.

Firefighters aggressive attack contained the flames to a second floor unit and prevented the fire from extending to other units in the complex. It took about 30 minutes to completely extinguish the flames.
Fire Investigators determined the fire started in the kitchen of a second floor unit. Candles were left unattended on the refrigerator. The flame from the candles caught other combustibles on fire. The resident was able to escape from her unit without any injuries.

The SFD Investigators are calling this an accidental fire and estimate damage at $100,000 to the structure and $30,000 to the contents.

Due to the cold weather, the Incident Commander ordered a Metro Bus to keep the evacuated residents warm. Around 6:30 a.m. all of the residents were allowed back into the building.

The unit where the fire originated was a total loss. Red Cross was called to provide temporary housing for 2 separate residents and their dogs.

The Seattle Fire Public Education Unit offers some rules to follow to prevent candle fires from starting in your home.

• Always keep burning candles within sight. Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or before you go to sleep.

• Always use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use. The holder should be heat resistant, sturdy and large enough to contain any drips or melted wax.

• Placed lighted candles where they won’t be knocked over by children, pets or anyone else.

• Keep burning candles away from furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, flammable decorations, etc….

• Read and carefully follow all manufacturer instructions. Do not burn a candle longer than the manufacturer recommends.

• Extinguish pillar and taper candles when they burn to within two inches of the holder. Discontinue burning votive and container candles before the last half inch of wax melts.

Firefighters Battled Access Issues in Beacon Hill House Fire

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January 2—Seattle Firefighters battled access issues when fighting a fire inside Beacon Hill home. Around 12:30 p.m., a neighbor called 911 to report a fire inside the home at 5500 block of 21st Avenue South. Engine Company 28 arrived to find light smoke and visible flames coming from the one story home.

The homeowner, a woman in her 50’s, was outside the house and said she suffered singeing to her hair while escaping the fire. Medics transported her to Swedish Medical Center’s First Hill E.R. with minor injuries. The woman says she was inside her living room reading when the flames started and she escaped out the front door.

Arriving firefighters were not able to open the front door or back door to the house due to a large amount of debris piled up inside. The access issues delayed firefighters getting water on the fire. Using chainsaws, firefighters cut a hole in a back window to gain access into the burning home and to spray water on the flames. One firefighter crawled through the smoke filled home to open the front door. Once inside, firefighters knocked the flames down within 7 minutes.

A Seattle Fire Investigator determined the cause to be accidental, combustible materials piled too close to an electric baseboard heater inside the living room. The damage estimate is 40 thousand dollars to the structure and five thousand dollars to the contents.

No firefighters were injured while fighting the fire.

A Baseboard Heater contributed to Fire at University District Apartment Complex

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Photo Courtesty John Odegard

November 16—An early morning fire at a University District apartment complex was caused by combustible materials too close to an electric baseboard heater according to a Seattle Fire Investigator. Around 3:45 a.m. Seattle Firefighters responded to the 5000 block of Brooklyn Avenue NE after several 911 callers reported flames visible from the two-story apartment complex.

Engine Company 17 arrived to find flames coming from a first floor apartment living room. Firefighters knocked down the fire within five minutes of arriving. All 8 units of the complex were searched to make sure all of the residents safely evacuated.

A man who lived in the apartment where the flames began was treated when his hair was singed while trying to put out the fire with a blanket. Seattle Fire Paramedics also examined the female occupant of the apartment. No one was transported.

All residents were allowed back into their apartments except for the two occupants of the damaged apartment. They are staying with relatives.

A Seattle Fire Investigator is calling this fire accidental in nature, caused when combustible materials came into contact with an electric baseboard heater. An SFD investigator estimates the damage at $40,000 to the structure, $10,000 to the contents and $8,000 to a car and motorcycle that were damaged by the flames.