Seattle Fire Investigators determined unattended candles are to blame for an early morning fire on top of Queen Anne Hill. At 3:44 a.m., a call came into Fire Dispatchers reporting a person was trapped inside a second floor unit apartment.
Engine Company 8 arrived to find flames coming from a second floor unit. Firefighters rushed inside and found heavy black smoke filling the entire second floor of the four-story apartment complex located at 23 W. Galer St.
Firefighters quickly went door to door to make sure the approximately three dozen residents evacuated from the building. Ladder Company 4 Firefighters quickly extended a ladder to the second floor to evacuate a male in his 30s who lived in the unit right next door to the apartment on fire. Medics checked out evacuated residents but none of them required medical treatment.
Firefighters aggressive attack contained the flames to a second floor unit and prevented the fire from extending to other units in the complex. It took about 30 minutes to completely extinguish the flames.
Fire Investigators determined the fire started in the kitchen of a second floor unit. Candles were left unattended on the refrigerator. The flame from the candles caught other combustibles on fire. The resident was able to escape from her unit without any injuries.
The SFD Investigators are calling this an accidental fire and estimate damage at $100,000 to the structure and $30,000 to the contents.
Due to the cold weather, the Incident Commander ordered a Metro Bus to keep the evacuated residents warm. Around 6:30 a.m. all of the residents were allowed back into the building.
The unit where the fire originated was a total loss. Red Cross was called to provide temporary housing for two separate residents and their dogs.
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