Almost three weeks after a fatal Fremont apartment fire that claimed the lives of four children and one adult, Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean explained to about 30 members of the community at Fremont Baptist Thursday night, what happened that morning — including the malfunction that caused the first engine to arrive not to pump water — and reiterated the importance of fire prevention.
After such a tragic fire, Dean said, the Seattle Fire Department’s takeaways include the importance of early notification, communication within the community and other preventative measures.
“We’d like takeways. We want to find ways to learn from this tragic event we all experienced,” he said. “Our role is to save lives. This has an impact on everybody.”
But it was apparent the scars from that event won’t go away anytime soon. Neighbors who witnessed the fire expressed anger and frustration, still, at the time it took for the fire department to get water on the June 12 blaze.
“I think angry words were thrown, and I think I threw them,” said one woman, who did not identify herself except to say she was a neighbor who has witnessed not only this fire, but another one at the same apartment, same complex, two years ago. “I do publicly apologize. But I have serious questions and concerns. I was there for the whole thing. I still have wounds on my legs.”
Chief Dean’s narrative of what happened did not reveal any major revelations not already made public. This accidental fire started on the first floor. Someone woke up Helen Gebregiorgis, who went to a closet and found a smoldering mattress, left against a lightbulb that had been left on. She went to the windows to clear out the smoke – which in turn, created a chimney effect. The smoke alarm was ringing the entire time, but then she heard an explosion — Dean said likely an aerosol can or windows breaking — and she went outside with one child.
“Fire spreads quickly,” Dean said.
The other 4 children (ages 13, 7, 6, 5) and their aunt, Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, 22, sought safety in a second floor bathroom.
The first engine to arrive on the scene saw “heavy, black smoke” and drove past the building, both to make room for the ladder and medic units on the way and to gauge access to the building on the other sides. Engine 18 had 500 gallons of water but a malfunction — which was later found to be a worn transmission control pad — prevented it from being used. Hooking up to a fire hydrant – which has much less pressure than the equipment on the engines – would not have been feasible.
The building, which was a triplex built in 1988, before requirements for sprinkler systems.
Firefighters who pressurized the apartment next door to the one burning found that the second layer of sheetrock was too hot, so they chose not to break through and risk spreading the fire to the rest of the complex. At this point, the fire burned at about 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. They and other firefighters on the scene, Dean said, were unable to see anybody.
Helen Gebregiorgis, he said, was unable to get back into the building, even though that was her intent. The first calls to 911 were made at 10:04 a.m. The first engine arrived at 10:09, with the second arriving at 10:12, which is when Dean estimates water first hit the flames.
SFD’s Public Education Director Lisa Van Horn urged the community to update smoke alarms, form escape plans and practice them.
“The most likely place for you to experience a fire is in your home, and the most likely victim is a child,” she said.
Mayor Mike McGinn, Fire Marshal John Nelsen and members of the responding SFD units were also at the meeting.