Posted 1:50 p.m. Fire Chief Gregory Dean met with members of the media today to answer tough questions about how the department handled the tragic fire in Fremont yesterday. Many neighbors have criticized the department (see our earlier story and comments below it) for taking too long to put water on the fire and make an attempt to save the people trapped inside.
“Our hearts go out to the ones who lost their loved ones,” he said. “I think all of us spent the night looking and reading comments and trying to see what went on.” Dean defended how firefighters reacted at the scene. “Firefighters went out yesterday and did their jobs,” he said. “(They’re) beating themselves up.”
Many questions focused on Ballard-based Engine 18, which suffered a mechanical problem switching from “drive mode to pump mode,” which left the first attacking firefighters without water (see this photo). “Things can happen at the most uncommon times,” he said. “And making sure you send additional units, so if you have a mechanical problem you can deal with it. ” Dean said the second unit, Engine 8, arrived two minutes after Engine 18, and was the first to put water on the fire. Several other engines followed a minute later, including Engine 20, which was briefly delayed on the Fremont Bridge after dropping one of its hoses. (Earlier Dean said Engine 20 was the second to arrive, but a review of radio records discovered it was Engine 8).
Firefighters at Station 10, where Chief Dean held his press conference, demonstrated how to switch an engine from drive to pump mode. This is the control that failed on Engine 18.
Reporters pressed Dean on whether firefighters should have entered the burning building sooner. “They saw heavy black smoke and flames coming from the unit upon arrival,” he said, explaining that such conditions rarely sustain life. “When firefighters enter a structure, they have to have water with them. Having flames and fire on the first floor, they cannot proceed to the second floor, until they put that fire out. Because if they don’t put that fire out, when you get upstairs, you’ll have fire follow behind you, and burn you and your hose and close off your escape route.”
Dean said the department is pulling the mechanical records of Engine 18, and is conducting a full investigation. After the press conference, Chief Dean met with the victims’ family and members of the Tigray Community Association.
Updated 12:40 p.m. Family, friends, neighbors and many in Seattle’s Ethiopian community are mourning the loss of 4 children and a young adult in yesterday’s tragic fire. The mother, Helen Gebregiorgis, lost her sons, Joseph Gebregiorgis, 13, and Yaseen Shamam, 5, and her daughter Nisreen Shamam, 6. Gebregiorgis also lost her 22-year-old sister, Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, and 7-year-old niece, Nyella Smith, reports the Seattle Times.
A small memorial is forming along the fence line outside the apartment complex as cars drive slowly by looking at the scene. We saw one of the neighbors winding up the charred fire hose that residents used before firefighters arrived on scene. “Everything burned in the fire,” he tells us.
Today, fire investigators said the fire started in a living quarters on the first floor. “In discussions with the mother, we know she went upstairs to notify people,” said Fire Chief Gregory Dean. “The smoke alarm was working at that time. She grabbed one of the kids, came downstairs, and she believed the rest were following her. And when she got outside, they were not. We did find the four children and the aunt in the second floor bathroom, huddled together.” Dean said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Since last night, hundreds of members of the Ethiopian Tigray Community Association have been gathering to mourn the tragedy. The city opened up the Yessler Community Center early, and throughout the day, members of the community have streamed in and out, many with tears in their eyes. “This is one of the hardest times for our community,” said Berhane Abraha, a spokesperson.
Updated 10 p.m. Five people have died, four of them children, in an apartment fire at 41st. NW and NW Leary St. this morning. “All of sudden I heard, ‘Fire!’” said one woman who was with the family in the apartment as they prepared to attend UW’s graduation this afternoon. “I went to go save the babies, but the thick smoke, it was just too thick, too much fire.”
When we arrived on scene shortly after the fire department, a woman was screaming, “My babies, my babies!” as neighbors worked to restrain her from running back into the burning apartment. Confusion reigned as family and friends tried to find out if the children were safe.
One of the missing kids was located by neighbors. She was brought into the arms of her distraught mother. Five others were lost in the fire: a 5-year-old girl, a 6-year-old boy, a 7-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman. The man who was graduating today at the UW was among the residents who tried to beat back the flames with a garden hose.
Some residents were angry, yelling to the gathering media that the fire department took too long to arrive, get organized and enter the apartment. “It took them 20 minutes to get here,” Lisa said. “We had to break windows out. We had the hose out. I’ll never be the same after today. Never. Never.” Another neighbor said the delay was after firefighters arrived. “It took a very long time to get water. There were bumping into each other,” said Cynthia. “All I could think of was, where’s the ladder to go up there?”
Fire Chief Gregory Dean said the first two units to arrive at the scene both experienced difficulties. The first arrived 5 minutes after the 911 call, but it had a mechanical problem with pumping water. Engine 18, a Ballard-based unit, was checked this morning but failed on the scene, Dean said. The second company, Engine 20, arrived two minutes later at 10:11 a.m. and was the first to put water on the fire. Engines 17 and 21 arrived one minute later at 10:12 a.m. and Engine 9 arrived at 10:13 a.m. Others followed soon thereafter.
Dean confirmed a comment posted by a My Ballard reader earlier this morning: the second responding company, Engine 20, lost a hose while driving across the Fremont Bridge en route from North Queen to the fire. “One firefighter was injured,” Dan said. “They dropped some hose, he went to get it, and he injured himself in the process.” The engine stopped to quickly remove the hose from the roadway, and a firefighter injured his back. The engine had left the station at 10:06 and arrived at the fire at 10:11 a.m. Photo of Engine 18 about to be towed away several hours after the fire.
“Every moment counts in a fire,” Chief Dean said. “Where this measures as far as it fits in, I don’t have an answer for you.” Dean said firefighters saw heavy dark smoke and flames coming from the unit when they arrived, “which is pretty hard to sustain life itself.” He said an investigation is already underway.
“Our heart goes out to all these people,” he said. “Our firefighters believe they can save everyone. They’re beating themselves up right now.” The investigation will also look at the building codes. One neighbor said there was a fire in the same unit two years ago, and we found an archive story on an apartment fire from March 14, 2008 that appears to be at the same complex.
Three people were taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment, including the distraught mother, a man who arrived after the fire began and a child. They were not injured. Seattle Mayor McGinn arrived on the scene just before noon, thanking firefighters for their efforts before departing to to Harborview to talk to the family. Investigators have yet to recover the bodies.
Here’s a video of the story from the Seattle Times:
And you can read the Seattle Times’ story on the fire here.
Note: There are a couple efforts just getting underway to raise money for the families, and we’ll let you know as soon as there’s information to provide.
12:30pm update: Seattle Fire investigators say the fire was sparked by a transient who was cooking. Damage is estimated at $100,000.
The Ballard Bridge closed as a major fire burned underneath the south end of the structure late Wednesday night.
Our sister site, MyBallard.com is updating information here.
Firefighters responded to a house at the corner of 42nd and Evanston just after midnight this morning and discovered flames shooting out the front door.
A few minutes later, firefighters had the flames under control. Fortunately, everyone got out of the house safely and there were no injuries. Investigators have determined that the fire was accidental and was caused by an overheated electrical cord. The damage is estimated at $50,000. The large response included several units from Ballard, clogging Evanston Ave. and drawing quite a crowd of onlookers from neighbors.
Nearly 20 Seattle Fire units rushed to 36th & Linden just before 4 p.m.
Rob emailed us this picture, and he says that the detached garage is completely ruined. He said a car and a neighbor’s house were also damaged. (Thanks Rob!)
A boat docked at Morrison’s North Star Marine’s refueling station along Westlake Ave. exploded just before noon, sending one person to the hospital and creating a dramatic chain of events that averted a much larger fire.
Fremont resident Warren captured the sequence on camera. Witnesses say the burning boat was cut loose from the refueling dock under the Aurora Bridge, and then it drifted southeast alongside Diamond Marina next door.
It charred the front of a large boat (above) as it drifted by, and the flames threatened to ignite the boathouse.
That’s when witnesses say Harbor Patrol pulled it into the middle of the Ship Canal and extinguished the flames.
Craig Edwards, whose boat is moored at the Diamond Marina, praised the Harbor Patrol for their quick response, averting what may have been a devastating marina fire. One person was taken to Harborview Medical Center and another sustained minor injuries.
TV crews videotaping Morrison’s North Star Marine’s refueling dock. Westlake Ave. was closed for a half hour or so during the fire response, diverting traffic to Dexter Ave. and delaying traffic over the Fremont Bridge.
