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:
A Seattle Times story reported on Fire Chief Gregory Dean’s explanation to City Council Friday of the circumstances that led to the deaths of five people - including four children - in an apartment fire in Fremont on June 12. While there was a malfunction that caused a delay of water on the scene, Dean’s review concluded firefighters were not at fault and that possibly the only thing that might have made a difference would have been a sprinkler system, which was not required in the building because it was built before those were required in these buildings.
Dean said this detailed review will not result in changes to the department’s firefighting protocols.
Dean told council members that mechanical problems with an engine that delayed putting water on the fire have been addressed and that mistakes made by its operator are being dealt with through training.
Both the chief and an independent analyst concluded that, while operator error contributed to the incident, the firefighters responsible acted according to their training and can’t be blamed.
Moreover, the chief reiterated that the fire that roared through the two-story town house was so intense that it is unlikely anyone could have been saved even if the engine had functioned properly.
The outcome might have been different, Dean said, had the 40-year old structure been equipped with a sprinkler system. Sprinklers have been required in new multifamily construction since 1988.
The article goes into more detail about the malfunction that prevented water from coming out of the first engine on the scene.
An investigator concluded that the problem was likely traced to a touch-activated selector that engages the pump. That unit has been replaced on all 10 similar trucks in the department, Dean said.
Dean said the driver three times tried to start the pumps, but failed each time. Each time he had to turn off the engine of the firetruck and turn off the battery, and then turn both back on.
But what he didn’t know is that he was supposed to leave everything turned off for 10 seconds to make it work.
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.
The Seattle Fire Department has scheduled a community meeting in Fremont to discuss the deadly fire on June 12. Chief Gregory Dean will be in attendance, along with fire prevention educators who will review steps on how to prepare for a fire emergency in your home. The meeting takes place Thursday, July 1 at 6:30pm at the Fremont Baptist Church at 717 N. 36th Street. For more information, contact the fire department’s public information office at 206-386-1463.
The reserve fire engine that malfunctioned and couldn’t pump water when it arrived at the deadly Fremont fire on June 12 had a faulty part. That part, a transmission pad, is now being replaced on 10 other engines as a precaution.
Officials say despite the engine’s failure and the short delay in getting water on the fire, it wouldn’t have made a difference in the blaze that claimed five lives.
UPDATE, 6/25: From the Seattle Fire Department:
After more than 39 hours of diagnostic and field testing, the consultant and emergency vehicle technicians were able to replicate the problem that occurred on June 12. They isolated the problem to a worn transmission control keypad. The keypad controls the vehicle’s transmission which engages the pump.
The consultant advised on recovery procedures if the pad does not engage on first attempt. The Fire Department has put together a set of written instructions for firefighters on how to “reboot” the system if necessary. The instructions will include the normal procedures for putting the engine in to pump and instructions for what to do if the engine will not go in to pump. They will be put in the cab of every engine in the department.
“Overall this particular device has performed very reliably over the years. But with this latest failure, we will redouble our efforts to maintain the reliability of our vehicles,” added Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean and Acting Director of Fleets and Facilities Fred Podesta.
All Seattle Fire Department vehicles receive a daily, weekly and monthly operator check and are on a six month preventative maintenance schedule.
The consultant is Mike Thorn of Oregon Apparatus Repair, Inc. He will provide a written report on his findings next week.
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has decided not to make any cuts to the fire department in the wake of Saturday’s deadly fire here in Fremont. Mid-year budget cuts were announced this morning.
“In light of the tragic events in Fremont over the weekend, the mayor is not proposing any reductions to the fire department to give us time and to give us an opportunity to fully evaluate and review safety implications of changes in the fire department’s budget,” said Beth Goldberg with the city budget office.
The mayor decided to fully fund all community centers and swimming pools across the city. The only areas that took a big hit in the Parks budget were wading pools and park maintenance. The nearby Gilman wading pool will be closed this summer, and the East Queen Anne wading pool will only operate 3 days a week. You can see the complete list of cuts here.
