The 9th & Madison intersection again fills with fire trucks. The garage building with black stripes is at the center. A total of 36 SFD vehicles clogged nearby streets.
2-Alarm vacant building fire in First Hill neighborhood
by David Cuerpo on July 13, 2023
Seattle — Wednesday night at 10:07 p.m., the Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Alarm Center received 911 calls reporting smoke and flames coming from the top floor of a four-story vacant apartment building at the 1000 block of 9th Ave. Firefighters arrived on scene four minutes later then entered the building to search for the seat of the fire and for any occupants inside. They rescued an approx. 26-year-old male found on the top floor of the building and confirmed the fire spread through multiple areas. Breaching through the roof. Crews carried the patient out of the building where paramedics provided care. They determined he was in stable condition and requested for AMR to transport him to a hospital for further medical care.
With flames breaching through the roof, firefighters were ordered to evacuate due to concerns of a structural collapse. At 10:20 p.m., the incident was upgraded to a 2-alarm fire to request additional resources. Firefighters transitioned to a defensive position where they poured water on the fire at a safe distance away from the building. Utilizing the ladder trucks’ aerial ladders to pour water onto the flames breaching through the roof. Additional firefighters climbed on top the roof of an adjacent building to pour water on the fire from their vantage point. By 11:06 p.m., the roof began to collapse.
Firefighters continue to pour water on the fire throughout the night. No additional injuries were reported and the incident is under investigation.
Updated July 13 at 9 a.m.: Fire is extinguished and a few units remain on scene for fire watch. Cause of the fire is under investigation.
Skyline tower at middle right. Fire at lower left.
A year ago, this was the scene.
