Fifty firefighters responded to a house fire at 4331 5th Ave. NW on the edge of Ballard and Fremont on Friday night. Moments later, the flames spread to the home next door. Anelise sent us this photo from the scene:
“(We saw) flames and sparks shooting up in the sky,” said Kathy, who lives five blocks away. “The flames were sixty, seventy feet high.”
“There was so much fire coming from that original house, that they couldn’t go inside and attack the fire from the inside,” said Seattle Fire spokesperson Helen Fitzpatrick. “Everything was pretty well involved by the time they arrived.” Firefighters were dispatched at 9:30 p.m. and were still dousing the homes two hours later. Nobody was injured.
(Fire photo tweeted to us by @gobigelow)
“I initially saw a flash,” says Olivia, who lives a block away. “A few seconds later I saw another one, and then a boom sort of noise.” She said she ran out and saw a house fully engulfed in flames. “It was already on the other roof right next to it.”
Smoke could be seen for miles. Firefighters initially entered the home, but quickly retreated. Here’s video from Evonne:
Firefighters will stay at the scene for the remainder of the night, extinguishing hot spots and ensuring the fire doesn’t flare up again. Both homes sustained significant damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
(Thanks to many of you for emailing us, and a special thanks to Capitol Hill Seattle’s @jseattle for the first tip on the story.)
Update: Linda Evans sent over this photo that shows what the fire looked like from Magnolia:
And here’s some hi-res video of the fire and the firemen dealing with it, via Seattled.com:
An elderly man died in a two-alarm house fire in North Queen despite firefighters’ best attempts to save him. Some Fremont neighbors saw the smoke and heard the sirens on Friday night.
Our sister site Queen Anne View has the story here.
8/21 Update: According to the Seattle Times, the cause of the fire was beauty bark in the yard that caught fire. The damage to the building ran upwards of $75,000. The house was rented by five Seattle Pacific U students, though none of them were home at the time.
4:00 Update: Traffic is back to normal for a Saturday. Pretty clear heading north, still some congestion southbound.
No one was hurt in the blaze and no one was apparently home when it happened but the cause has not yet been established. At least three firetrucks are on the scene and put out the fire. Unfortunately, the house was damaged pretty significantly.
If you are planning on traveling this afternoon, stay the heck away from Fremont Ave. The ramps onto and off of Aurora are closed so a lot of that traffic is being diverted through Fremont.
The fire broke out sometime after 3 a.m. Monday morning. According to the Seattle Fire Department, there was nobody inside and no one was hurt.
The fire apparently started near the rear of the laundromat but all you have to do is look at the front to know it made its way through the entire building. The windows are smokey and one of the front doors was damaged, possibly by firemen entering the building.
The cause had not yet been determined as of Monday afternoon. No word on how long the laundromat will be out of commission.
Firefighters were called to a fire at an abandoned house just before 7 a.m. today at 317 N.W. 41st St.
Jordan Lee, who lives behind the house at 317 NW 41st Street, told MyBallard he was walking his dog when he smelled burning plastic.
He saw light smoke coming from the abandoned house and called 911. He tells us that the house has been boarded up for years. He didn’t see anyone leaving the house, in fact he’s never seen anyone at the house, but assumes squatters were trying to keep warm last night. According to a Tweet by King5unit9, who was on the scene, “There was one man occupying the vacant home. Unfortunately, he had a few cats and only 1 will probably live.”
Tipster Emily wrote in to let us know about a car fire that took place last night on the corner of 46th and Phinney.
When I arrived, the fire was put out and the firemen were putting away their hoses. There was a lot of water trickling south down Phinney, and things might be extra icy in that area.
Here’s a photo of the car in question being towed away.
Fire engines also made a stop at 43rd and Linden last night, sirens blazing, around 8:40pm. No word on the details just yet but let us know if you heard or saw anything.
Just because it’s snowing out doesn’t mean firemen get an easy time of it, apparently.
A large dispatch of firefighters descended on Northlake Way along Lake Union in Wallingford this evening for a fire aboard a 150-foot trawler.
Firefighters were able to get the upper hand quickly after arriving. My Wallingford has the photos and video from the scene.
A 100-foot vessel from the early seasons of the TV show Deadliest Catch burned for more than an hour along the Ship Canal early this morning.
Nearly 100 firefighters battled the three-alarm blaze at a dock along the Queen Anne side, both from the dock and on the water. When fire crews arrived, they discovered the Arctic Dawn engulfed in flames, sending a huge column of smoke across the water into Ballard. The only person on the boat, an engineer, escaped the flames unharmed. There were no reported injuries.
My Ballard, which covered the fire, has more on the story here.
Now that Seattle’s summer has finally made its appearance - and looks to stay dry for awhile - King County has instituted a Phase 1 burn ban that will last until September 30.
King County is doing this in concert with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and Pierce, Kitsap, Mason and Snohomish Counties. This burn ban applies throughout King County in both the incorporated and unincorporated areas, but does not apply to federal forests or national parks, although these jurisdictions may have similar restrictions in effect, so be sure to check if you’re in those areas and planning on an evening fire.
The ban forbids forest and yard debris burning but still allows recreational campfires in approved fire pits. However, campfires and fire pits are allowed only if they are located on private land with the landowner’s permission OR at public parks (such as Golden Gardens) that fit the specifications below. These fires must:
Be built in a metal or concrete fire pit, such as those typically found in designated campgrounds;
Grow no larger than three feet across;
Be located in a clear spot free from any vegetation for at least 10 feet in a horizontal direction, including a 20-foot vertical clearance from overhanging branches; and
Be attended at all times by an alert individual with immediate access to a shovel and either five gallons of water or a connected and charged water hose.
“With local temperatures rising, we have called this burn ban to protect public health and safety during the summer months,” said King County Fire Marshal Jim Chan.
For more information on local fire restrictions, call the King County Fire Marshal Division at 206-296-6763 or 1-800-323-BURN. To monitor the status of this burn ban, log onto the DDES Web site.
“They may be gone but they are not alone,” Daniel Gebregiorgis said of his nieces, nephews and sister.
That was the common message from the families of the Fremont fire victims who were far from alone on Friday. Hundreds of people turned out for a memorial service at Key Arena including elected officials, religious leaders, and even perfect strangers.
“I didn’t know the families but the story broke my heart,” said Tina Curtison of Queen Anne. “I had the chance to walk down here to pay my respects and decided it was the right thing to do.”
Half an hour before the service for Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, 22, Joseph Gebregiogis, 13, Nyella Smith, 7, Nisreen Shamam, 6, and Yaseen Shaman who had just turned 5, some people in the crowd were already overcome by grief. Sobs could be heard throughout the arena, and some family members had to leave the service once emotions got too raw.
“Our family has never felt a blow like this one,” one relative told the crowd as he talked about the victims. “Rest in peace where you began back in heaven.”
The first word of English wasn’t spoken until almost one hour into the service, but people from all races and backgrounds sat together to watch the moving tributes from Ethiopian choirs and bishops. Multiple languages were used, but the message was almost always the same.
“Your sorrow is our sorrow,” said Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. “Your grief is Seattle’s grief. We are and we will be one community.”
Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean was also in the crowd along with several members of the fire department. Family members thanked them and the entire city for the outpouring of support they’ve received.
The service ended with an emotional slideshow with each victim memorialized on the Key Arena scoreboard, along with a final word from family and friends.
“On a Saturday morning in mid June, our angel gathered up her nieces and nephew like she always does and found her peace as she took the steps up to heaven,” said one speaker about Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis. “Her memory dwells forever.”
An account has been set up at Bank of America to donate money to the families. It’s called the Seattle Children’s Fire Fund. A booth is being set up at this weekend’s Fremont Fair where you can also make donations.
Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean says investigators have determined Saturday’s deadly fire in Fremont was caused by a foam mattress in a downstairs closet that was leaning against a light bulb. Dean says the fire was ruled accidental.
According to Dean, Helen Gebregiorgis was asleep on the couch downstairs when one of the children smelled smoke and woke her up. The smoke alarm went off soon after that, and Helen opened the doors and windows to try and clear the smoke.
“The foam mattress fueled the fire, the oxygen from the open doors and windows fed the fire and made it grow quite fast,” Chief Dean said in a press conference this afternoon.
When Helen went upstairs to open the windows, she heard an explosion downstairs, grabbed her niece, and ran out of the house.
The five other members of the family, who did not make it out alive, were in a windowless bathroom on the second floor. When crews arrived on scene they could not put a ladder to the second floor because the fire was already too involved. Firefighters went into the apartment next door in hopes of breaking through the wall, but couldn’t due to flames.
Chief Dean says his department is still devastated by the outcome. A safety investigation into the fire engine that malfunctioned is expected to be completed late next week. Chief Dean also urged everyone to make sure they get out of their home immediately when a fire alarm goes off.
“Hopefully the lessons learned will not only make us a better department but a better community,” Dean said.
Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess said he’s planning to schedule several public hearings to investigate the fire department’s response in the deadly fire here in Fremont on Saturday morning.
Burgess chairs the council’s Public Safety & Education Committee, and he said the hearings are designed to examine the delays in fighting the fire, due to a mechanical issue with the first responding engine (above, being towed away after the fire.) “Part of the reason is that our firefighters deserve this, as much as anyone, so that what they did do there will be recognized and acknowledged,” he told our partners at the Seattle Times. We’ll keep you updated.
Dozens of family, friends and neighbors gathered in front of the scene of Saturday morning’s fire tonight to remember the five lives lost in the blaze.
They left flowers and wrote notes of remembrance in the growing memorial along the fence outside of the charred townhouse.
Daniel Gebregiorgis, the brother and uncle to the victims, attended the event along with Chris Smith, the father of one of the children lost. Gebregiorgis read some of the notes left at the memorial.
A bank account has been set up at Bank of America to donate money to the families. It’s called the Seattle Children’s Fire Fund. A new booth is being set up at this weekend’s Fremont Fair, where people can make donations, as well.
The potluck event was organized by next door neighbor Allecia Clemons, who said she wanted to help people to find peace after the tragic fire. Clemons is also working on setting up a community concert to raise money for the family — an effort that has attracted the attention of the Parks Department and other musicians who want to help. If you’re interested in helping organize the concert, please contact Allecia at allecialightlove@hotmail.com.
The Seattle Fire Department now says the truck that had an equipment malfunction at the scene of Saturday’s fatal fire in Fremont was not Engine 18. In fact, it was Engine 81, a reserve fire engine. Engine 81 used as ‘Engine 18′ by the Ballard-based fire crew.
Seattle Fire says the reserve engine was in use by the Ballard crew because the first line engine was undergoing routine maintenance. “Reserve engines take on the name of the station to which they are assigned when in service. This is why fire officials have referred to Engine 81 as ‘Engine 18,’” a release from the Seattle Fire Department states. Engine 81 was put into service in September 1996.
The City of Seattle is investigating the malfunction. An independent expert, as well as an expert from the engine’s manufacturer, Emergency One, will conduct the investigation, the release states.
Neighbors are gathering tonight at 330 NW 41st St (map) for a potluck fundraiser starting at 6 p.m.
Jessica Vets with the Fremont Chamber tells us that “This gathering will be a place to make donations, come and share grief and support the family.” Bring some “food, donations, a hug, a joke or a tear,” Vets says.
So far an account has not been set up for people to make direct donations to, although Vets tells us that it’s in the works. Until then, people can drop off donations at the Red Door (3401 Evanston Ave N) or attend tonight’s potluck.
A public memorial service for the victims of the fire has been scheduled for this Friday at Key Arena from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (please note this is a change of location).
Throughout the day, hundreds of mourners are coming and going from the Yesler Community Center, remembering the five lives lost in the deadly Fremont fire Saturday morning. Daniel Gebregiorgis, the brother and uncle to the victims, spoke to the media outside this afternoon.
“My family and community are in shock and disbelief,” he said, reading from a prepared statement. “Just the night before, the whole family went out and watched Karate Kid, and that evening, they all went back to my sister’s house for a sleepover.” When he talked about his oldest nephew, Joseph Gebregiorgis, tears began to well up in his eyes. “Joseph was a 7th grader at Whitman Middle School, loved basketball,” he said. “Big Boston celtics fan. I owed him a movie. We made a bet. I had the Lakers winning that game the other night…. We were going to see Toy Story 3 when that came out.”
Joseph was the oldest of the children at 13. Nyella Smith (above) was 7 years old. Nisreen Shamam was 6. Yaseen Shaman had just turned 5 last week. And Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis was 22 years old.
Friends of the kids gathered around with the media to share their memories. “You feel it when they’re not around for a couple days,” said Shantier Johnson. “It hurts more than anything I’ve ever felt. This is real. This is reality. It’s crazy, because they’re not coming back, you know?”
The family and friends are setting up a bank account tomorrow where donations can be made. Until then, you can drop off donations at the Yesler Community Center, 917 East Yesler Way.
8/21 Update: 
Scary times Monday morning when 
Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean says investigators have determined Saturday’s 
Neighbors are gathering tonight at 330 NW 41st St (
