Tag: Battalion 4 (NW Seattle)

Queen Anne House Fire Caused by Electrical Wiring

August 8- Seattle Fire Investigators determined a Queen Anne roof fire was caused by electrical wiring.

Just minutes after 9 p.m. a neighbor called 911 to report smoke coming from the eaves of a 3-story home located in the 2300 block of 5h Avenue North. The first arriving engine company found smoke pouring from the roof.

Firefighters extinguished the flames within 40 minutes. The fire was limited to the roof and attic space.

Fire investigators discovered a nail through electrical wiring in the roof caused the fire. The damage estimate is $40,000 to the structure and $20,000 to the contents.

There were no injuries.

Oily Towels the Cause of Early Morning Fremont Laundromat Fire

July 21—Seattle Fire Investigators determined a fire in a Fremont Laundromat was caused by an exothermic chemical reaction initiated by the clothes dryer and heat.

At 2:00 a.m. a 911 call came into dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center reporting flames visible from a commercial Laundromat located near the intersection of Fremont Avenue North and North 43rd Street. When Engine Company 9 arrived they found flames inside the 1-story commercial building. Crews made forcible entry into the business and were able to confine the fire to a west wall and a small portion of the ceiling. Within 9 minutes of arriving, firefighters had the fire under control. It took less than 20 minutes to completely extinguish the flames.

The fire investigator determined the cause of the fire was spa towels with oils that when heated caused a spontaneous combustion.

The damage estimate is $10,000.

There were no injuries.

 

Join Seattle Fire at the Seattle Neighborhood Summit


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Join the Seattle Fire Department at the Seattle Neighborhood Summit on Saturday April 5, 2014 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1p.m.

Here is a chance to meet the Seattle Firefighters in person. On hand will be a Fire Engine and a Ladder Truck where families can take photos with the Fire Crews. Also the Fire Cadets will be demonstrating their fire skills including putting on their specialized bunking gear.

For those interested in careers in firefighting we will have recruitment firefighters to answer your questions.

Do you know what to do when a fire occurs in your home?  Our public educators will be at the event to explain how to protect yourself and your family from fires.

Join us for a fun-filled and education day at Seattle Center. We look forward to meeting you.

 

Seattle Neighborhood Summit

 

CO Detector Helps Save the Lives of Ballard Couple and Their Pet

UPDATE: 5 p.m.  Seattle Police Investigators determined the cause of the CO Poisoning was accidental. The couple is recovering at Virginia Mason Medical Center. The couple’s dog was taken in by a neighbor.

March 26—Firefighters rescued a couple and a dog out of a Ballard townhome full of Carbon Monoxide this morning. 

Prior to the firefighter’s arrival, a PSE employee was called to a townhome located in the 800 block of NW 52nd Street to look into a CO Alarm sounding in Unit B of a two-unit complex.  While investigating the cause of the CO Alarm activating, the PSE employee discovered a car running in the closed garage of Unit A.

At 5:12 this morning dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center received a 911 call from the PSE employee reporting the running car. When firefighters arrived they made forcible entry into the 3-story home. Inside Unit A, they found two semi-conscious patients who collapsed at the top of  the staircase . The patients demonstrated symptoms of CO poisoning.  Firefighters rescued the couple and their dog.  Once outside the home, the two patients began to regain consciousness. The dog did not show any visible symptoms of CO poisoning.

Medics evaluated the patients, a male and a female in their 30’s, and transported them to Virginia Mason Medical Center to be placed in the hyperbaric chamber.  The patients were conscious and stable at the time of the transport.

Fire crews measured the CO levels in Unit A and found the levels to be 1300 parts-per-million. Greater
than 35 ppm Exceeds acceptable levels for continued exposure.  CO is an odorless colorless gas that can be deadly. It’s often times called the “Silent Killer”. According to the National Fire Protection Association a person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.

Firefighters used industrial fans to ventilate the townhome and to make the environment safe for the occupants to return to the units.

The family in the non-affected unit  had left prior to firefighters arrival to stay with relatives.

If your CO alarm sounds, get out immediately and call 911.

The Fire Department is thankful for the diligence and quick actions of the PSE employee.  The on-scene fire officer stated two occupants of the home would not have survived without the actions of the Puget Sound employee.

For more information on danger of Carbon Monoxide click on this link.

http://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubed/brochures/carbon%20monoxide.pdf

Helicopter crashes near the Space Needle

Photo Courtesy Fire Buff John Odegard

At 7:40 this morning a KOMO TV News helicopter carrying two people crashed onto Broad Street near 5th Avenue igniting three cars.  The pilot and news photographer onboard were killed instantly in the crash.  A 37-year old man who was in the car hit by helicopter debris was transported to Harborview Medical Center with third degree burns.   The occupants in the other two cars were not injured.

Initial 9-1-1 calls reported a large fire ball near a building.  About 15 seconds later, multiple 9-1-1 callers described  a helicopter on the ground and three cars on fire. When firefighters arrived on scene two Seattle Police Officers were assisting the badly burned driver. This allowed firefighters critical  time to  ensure no one else was trapped in the wreckage. Firefighters quickly extinguished the burning vehicles and prevented fuel from entering the storm drains.  The damage due to the helicopter crash was confined to the three cars.

Seattle Fire Department’s heavy rescue response included a technical rescue team with specialized equipment and training for difficult extrications.  Twenty-six fire units responded to the scene with a total of approximately 50 firefighters.

The Seattle Police Department with the assistance of the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will be handling the investigation.