SEATTLE — A collapsed roof, busted windows and charred walls are all that’s left after a fire ripped through a Queen Anne home Tuesday.
The flames broke out just before 2 p.m. in the 500 block of West Highland Drive, just a few doors down from the iconic Kerry Park.
“It’s heartbreaking for whoever lives there,” says neighbor Ben Fox. “Right in the middle of the holidays especially. Plus being in a pandemic, you have to find somewhere to go, you have to find ways to deal with it.”
Plumes of thick black smoke moved over the hill top community quickly.
Fire fighters urged residents to close their windows as others couldn’t help but see the fire for themselves.
“I knew it was bad because I could see the plume blowing right over Queen Anne and it was very thick and very dense,” says neighbor David Faulkner.
Seventy-five fire fighters tackled the flames from all angles.
Seattle Fire says much of the blaze was contained to the second floor of the home. Firefighters tried to attack it from inside but it didn’t take long for the home to become unstable.
“The ceiling started to collapse between the attack space and the second floor so we had to pull them out,” says Seattle Fire Department PIO David Cuerpo.
With other homes within reach of the flames, work quickly fanned out to prevent the fire from spreading.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but firefighters said renovations were being done on the home. They added that no one was injured and everyone inside the house was able to make it out safely.
Firefighters said Wednesday that the cause of the fire was accidental but they are still working to determine the likely cause and estimated loss.