SEATTLE — A bomb squad, hazmat team, police, and firefighters swarmed an apartment building in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne neighborhood after an explosion there on Wednesday.
Authorities confirmed to KIRO 7 that the explosion was caused by fireworks inside an apartment. The blast severed a man’s hand.
At about 9:37 a.m., firefighters and police were dispatched to the 100 block of First Avenue North near Denny Way for a report of a fire at an apartment building. Emergency dispatchers received additional 911 calls from people inside the building who said they heard an explosion in a basement unit.
Firefighters arrived and found a 36-year-old man with an injured hand who was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious, but non-life-threatening, condition.
According to police, the man said he was handling a firework in his home when it exploded in his hand.
No active fire was found at the scene, according to Seattle Fire.
A witness who spoke to KIRO 7 said he was the injured man’s roommate and was sleeping when he was suddenly jolted awake by an unfamiliar sound.
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He said he found his injured roommate in a terrifying state and had to help him until firefighters arrived.
“I removed myself from the building — a bomb went off or an explosive — just something very loud or unnatural and unnormal, realizing it was in a unit or in or around mine, I removed myself from the building,” the man said.
As a precaution, the building was evacuated and hazmat crews responded. By about 9:50 a.m., a bomb squad was seen at the building, where a sign said Arkona Apartments. Detectives did not find any other volatile material.
The Seattle Fire Department made a one-block perimeter around the building. Only members of fire and law enforcement were allowed in the area as a safety measure.
By 11:40 a.m., Seattle Fire said it was reducing its response to a few units and the scene was being transferred to the Seattle Police Department.
100 block of 1st Ave N: paramedics transported the patient to a hospital in serious condition. We have established a 1-block perimeter around the building where only fire and law enforcement personnel are allowed as a safety precaution.
— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) April 19, 2023
100 block of 1st Ave N: additional 911 calls within the building report hearing an explosion within a basement unit. We are evacuating the building as a safety precaution. HazMat crews are also responding.
— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) April 19, 2023
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