Demolition of building burned in massive First Hill fire to begin as traffic woes continue

SEATTLE — One of Seattle busiest thoroughfares, Madison Street in the First Hill area, has been closed to all traffic since an apartment building burned in a massive fire on New Year’s Day.

3-alarm fire on Seattle's First Hill The building is on Ninth and Madison. (KIRO 7 News)

First Hill fire on 1-1-24 (KIRO 7 News)

3-alarm fire on Seattle's First Hill The building is on Ninth and Madison. (KIRO 7 News)

First Hill fire (KIRO 7 News)

The complete closure of Madison has made traffic troubles the norm for the New Year and not the exception.

But that could change soon. The fire at the abandoned building at the corner of Ninth and Madison drew dozens of firefighters and forced the evacuation of several buildings.

At that time, the danger of a full collapse was evident to Seattle Fire Department Chief Harold Scoggins.

“The walls have already been compromised, and openings have already been made by the previous fire, so it creates a flow path so it can go from floor to floor, go to the attic space, and makes it more challenging to fight,” Scoggins said.

It was also the second time that KIRO 7 covered a fire at that location. The building was occupied in June of 2022 when it first burned.

Since that time, area residents said several fires have happened at the location. The City of Seattle says demolition will start Tuesday and will take six weeks.

The bad news for drivers is that Madison will remain closed during that time. Crews told KIRO 7 that things could move faster or slower, depending on safety around the demolition.