80 firefighters dispatched as flames, smoke poured out of Seattle building

SEATTLE — Seattle fire crews had a busy Saturday night as they battled an empty building fire.

The Seattle Fire Department said around 11 p.m., they got reports of a fire in a one-story vacant building in the 300 block of Northwest 85th Street near the borderline of the Crown Hill and Greenwood neighborhoods.

When the first units got there, they reported that the fire in the vacant building was reaching three nearby buildings.

At 11:16 p.m., SFD said the fire was upgraded to a 2-alarm fire for additional resources.

“Eight fire engines, five ladder trucks, and additional support units totaling 80 firefighters were dispatched at the height of the incident,” said SFD.

By 11:40 p.m., the roof of the empty building started to collapse, forcing firefighters to get out of the building and set up a perimeter outside.

SFD said for the next 40 minutes, “crews worked tirelessly to knock down the fire.”

They also searched a nearby building that was affected and confirmed no one was inside.

Another neighboring apartment building suffered water damage from run-off that pooled on the first floor and basement garage.

“Firefighters unclogged drains and utilized pumps to remove the water,” said SFD.

Crews were called off around 12:30 a.m. but SFD said firefighters will rotate overnight to monitor flare-ups.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

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