Seattle abandoned building fire spreads to occupied apartment

Seattle firefighters battled a three-alarm fire in a building that burned before and is known to have squatters

January 02, 2024 07:54 AM

By Lynda V. Mapes
The Seattle Times

SEATTLE — Firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze in a vacant building Monday morning on First Hill.

The Seattle Fire Department responded to the fire at 4:41 a.m., at a building at 823 Madison St. When firefighters first arrived, they saw a person waving from the second-story window.

“We were unable to locate that person. We don’t know if they were able to escape on their own or they are still in there,” said Kristin Hanson, public information manager for the department. There were people in the basement of the structure that left the building, the fire department reported.

All floors of the four-story building were burned in the fire, and firefighters worked to protect adjacent buildings. However, the fire spread to the apartment building at 909 Ninth Ave. Eight apartments at that location had to be evacuated, Hanson said, and the building cannot be occupied again because of fire and water damage.

A total of 12 adults and their cats and dogs have been displaced. There were no reported injuries, Hanson said. The department has requested aid from the American Red Cross for the displaced residents.

Another apartment building farther down the block was evacuated as a precaution, and due to heavy smoke, people living in the top units of an adjacent 11-story apartment and business building were also advised to evacuate. Those two structures were not heavily damaged, and people were permitted to reenter once the fire was under control, according to the department.

The building has burned before, first in June 2022. Three people were seriously hurt in that fire, which displaced people from all 63 units. The fire, which created an estimated $1 million in damage, was found to have been caused by an open flame that tipped onto a mattress and ignited it, according to the department. There have been several fires in the same structure since.

More than 100 firefighters battled Monday’s blaze. Firefighters were expected to be at the scene throughout the day to fully put out the fire, then investigate the cause, Hanson said. Fire officials advised drivers to expect traffic delays in the area.

Vacant buildings are a concern for firefighters, Hanson noted. “We see a lot of fires in vacant structures, sometimes with people living in them.”