SEATAC, Wash. — A fire at a SeaTac apartment building left 20 units unlivable and displaced residents.
Crews were sent to the Polaris at SeaTac in the 15300 block of 33rd Avenue South on Tuesday after a fire alarm went off, according to the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority.
As firefighters were arriving, the fire was upgraded to a 2-alarm fire after several reports of smoke on the sixth floor.
Additional firefighters from Puget Sound Fire, King County Fire District #2, Renton Regional Fire Authority, and South King Fire and Rescue were called to the scene.
“Firefighters found smoke on the fifth floor and dark black smoke, down to the floor, of the sixth floor,” said the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority.
Crews searched all units and didn’t find an active fire on either floor. They then went to the roof and found a rooftop HVAC unit on fire. They extinguished the unit and found out the fire trailed to into the roof, which had set off the protection sprinkler system.
Firefighters put out the rest of the fire and confirmed there were no other hotspots.
The Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority said no one was injured. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
The City of SeaTac Emergency Management staff said 20 apartments have been deemed unlivable due to water and/or smoke damage.
The management team at Polaris at SeaTac is coordinating the emergency housing needs for the affected residents, said Division Chief Pat Pawlak.