DAY 2: FEBRUARY 2, 2024, FRIDAY

INCIDENT SUMMARY

Ringing in the New Year with a twist this year, Seattle Firefighters were called to another vacant structure within their City limits. 

Photo Credits: John Odegard

Like other calls, their Fire Alarm Center (FAC) received multiple 9-1-1 calls about a fire burning in a building.

LOCATION

The fire was located in the 800 block of Madison Street in the First Hill community.

RESOURCES

Units dispatched were:

There were 31 units dispatched to this incident: 10 A14 AIR240-260 AIR10 AIR240 B2 B5 B6 DEP1 E10 E13 E2 E22 E25 E34 E5 E6 E8 L1 L10 L3 L4 L6 M10 M44 MAR5 PIO R1 REHAB1 SAFT2 STAF10.

First due on the scene were firefighters from Station 10 (downtown location) and 25 (Capitol Hill). They reported back to their Dispatch Center at the FAC, that heavy and thick black smoke was visible from four-story vacant residential structures with heavy fire impacting multiple floors of the structure.

PREVIOUS FIRE HISTORY

Responding resources were familiar with this building, the Seattle Fire Department released as this building also had another fire (3-alarm) in June of 2022 but at that time it was occupied. In 2024, it had become vacant after the last major fire in 2022.

SAFE ZONE

Because of the previous fire history, the Incident Commander pulled all of their firefighters out of the building and they went into a defensive strategy where they fought the fire with water a safe distance from the structure.

REPORTS OF POSSIBLE OCCUPANTS

The Seattle Fire Department received initial reports from bystanders that people could be still located inside the structure. Several of those occupants were able to safely self-evacuate from the basement.

It was said that there was possibly a person inside the building on the second floor but firefighters were unable to find him nor go inside the building due to the intensity of the heat, flames, and the unknowns of the structural integrity.

1ST ALARM TURNS INTO 2ND ALARM

Around 0453 hours PST, the Incident Commander (IC) requested through the FAC, additional manpower and equipment which constituted a 2nd alarm response.

Firefighters from the Seattle Fire Department remained on the scene putting out hot spots for the rest of the day.

2ND ALARM BECOMES A 3RD ALARM

In a span of twenty-five minutes, the IC would decide on another need for equipment and manpower and request the FAC upgrade the incident to a 3rd alarm response at 0518 hours PST. This was requested after the fire had extended into the roof, void space, and the top floor of an exposed (attached) building located on 9th Avenue.

DISPLACING RESIDENTS

Residents in the building on 9th Avenue became displaced after the fire and water damage had reached the roof of their building, making it unsafe to be occupied at the time Firefighters worked tirelessly to protect both structures and check for any additional extensions. The Red Cross was requested to provide these residents from the fire building to assist with needed housing.

An 11-story building (apartment) and a business building down the block were evacuated as a precaution for those living in the upper units due to the heavy black smoke in the area but were allowed to reoccupy their units after the fire was brought under control.

CAUSE

The Seattle Fire Marshal’s Office at this time in January 2024, was still investigating this fire.

2024 FIRE HISTORY

Though we are technically, 33 days into the New Year, the following day after this spectacular fire, the City faced a total of a minimum of three structure fires with 20-21 units each being assigned.

(c) 2024 NW Fire Blog