Updated 10 p.m. Five people have died, four of them children, in an apartment fire at 41st. NW and NW Leary St. this morning. “All of sudden I heard, ‘Fire!'” said one woman who was with the family in the apartment as they prepared to attend UW’s graduation this afternoon. “I went to go save the babies, but the thick smoke, it was just too thick, too much fire.”
When we arrived on scene shortly after the fire department, a woman was screaming, “My babies, my babies!” as neighbors worked to restrain her from running back into the burning apartment. Confusion reigned as family and friends tried to find out if the children were safe.
One of the missing kids was located by neighbors. She was brought into the arms of her distraught mother. Five others were lost in the fire: a 5-year-old girl, a 6-year-old boy, a 7-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman. The man who was graduating today at the UW was among the residents who tried to beat back the flames with a garden hose.
Some residents were angry, yelling to the gathering media that the fire department took too long to arrive, get organized and enter the apartment. “It took them 20 minutes to get here,” Lisa said. “We had to break windows out. We had the hose out. I’ll never be the same after today. Never. Never.” Another neighbor said the delay was after firefighters arrived. “It took a very long time to get water. There were bumping into each other,” said Cynthia. “All I could think of was, where’s the ladder to go up there?”
Fire Chief Gregory Dean said the first two units to arrive at the scene both experienced difficulties. The first arrived 5 minutes after the 911 call, but it had a mechanical problem with pumping water. Engine 18, a Ballard-based unit, was checked this morning but failed on the scene, Dean said. The second company, Engine 20, arrived two minutes later at 10:11 a.m. and was the first to put water on the fire. Engines 17 and 21 arrived one minute later at 10:12 a.m. and Engine 9 arrived at 10:13 a.m. Others followed soon thereafter.
Dean confirmed a comment posted by a My Ballard reader earlier this morning: the second responding company, Engine 20, lost a hose while driving across the Fremont Bridge en route from North Queen to the fire. “One firefighter was injured,” Dan said. “They dropped some hose, he went to get it, and he injured himself in the process.” The engine stopped to quickly remove the hose from the roadway, and a firefighter injured his back. The engine had left the station at 10:06 and arrived at the fire at 10:11 a.m.
Photo of Engine 18 about to be towed away several hours after the fire.
“Every moment counts in a fire,” Chief Dean said. “Where this measures as far as it fits in, I don’t have an answer for you.” Dean said firefighters saw heavy dark smoke and flames coming from the unit when they arrived, “which is pretty hard to sustain life itself.” He said an investigation is already underway.
“Our heart goes out to all these people,” he said. “Our firefighters believe they can save everyone. They’re beating themselves up right now.” The investigation will also look at the building codes. One neighbor said there was a fire in the same unit two years ago, and we found an archive story on an apartment fire from March 14, 2008 that appears to be at the same complex.
Three people were taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment, including the distraught mother, a man who arrived after the fire began and a child. They were not injured. Seattle Mayor McGinn arrived on the scene just before noon, thanking firefighters for their efforts before departing to to Harborview to talk to the family. Investigators have yet to recover the bodies.
Here’s a video of the story from the Seattle Times:
And you can read the Seattle Times’ story on the fire here.
Note: There are a couple efforts just getting underway to raise money for the families, and we’ll let you know as soon as there’s information to provide.
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Dear GS –
“One resident is angry at the fire department for not moving fast enough” is a very damaging statement and not reporting of the facts. Please don’t let a statement like this infer any lack or wrongdoing on the part of firefighters. We don’t have facts around the fire department’s response.
This is a heartbreaking story and its natural that residents and family are frightened and angry. Please don’t discount firefighters efforts because of somebody’s lashing out. Wait for the facts.
ty
ugh terrible.
Very sad.
Here are some additional facts:
The first firetruck dropped a hose on south side of Fremont bridge right in front of us. It had to stop and put it aside, then went on towards the fire.
This is terrible. Do we have any idea as to what caused the fire?
This fire is nowhere near the Fremont bridge.
Something just to ponder: It used to be the case that the city inspected fire hydrants very regularly. We all used to pay a few cents – cents – every two months to fund this. A few lawyers, a few years back, decided to challenge this in court in a class action. The court said that the city couldn’t charge ratepayers to maintain hydrants – that it had to come from the general fund. The upshot: The lawyers got rich, the ratepayers got back a few cents on each bill for the next year, and we all know what the state of the general fund is. People complain so much about having to pay for services… and this is what happens.
People don’t complain about services that maintain safety and infrastructure. They complain about funding everything else under the sun while needed infrastructure maintenance is left to rot.
If the above comments about the fire hydrants not being maintained are true then this city is grossly negligent.
it’s n0t the fire hydrant’s fault.
they ARRIVED twenty minutes after the call went out. sounds like some bungling…
what a tragedy
The Fire dept. 911 web page shows many units dispatched at 10:04 AM.
Oh dear God. How horrible. My thoughts and prayers are with the families, and the firefighters. Such a sad thing to have happen on such a beautiful day.
How about refraining from any criticism at this time? It’s not fair to anyone who lost their valuables or their loved ones. Keep it to yourself.
This was a “Full Response” with many units dispatched to a major fire. I’m sure units arrived within in minutes. One of the closest stations is on Bridgeway near Fremont. There should be no speculation here concerning what is a tragic event not seen in years. Condolences to all involved, & for the loss of life.
the story suggests there’s lots of speculation regarding the response.
innocent lives could’ve been saved. when do we start thinking about the response? it should be immediate while it’s fresh in everyone’s mind.
Heartbreaking. I saw the smoke on my drive to work at 10:15 and knew it could not be good. My heart goes out to the family’s who lost loved ones.
Tragic fire. I have been on many where the citizens complain about a 20 minute response time. And, it is always 4-6 minutes. In 30 years, I have never seen a response time even close to 20 minutes. Fire departments track response times to the second, this will bear out in this case also. And sometimes mechanical things do not function at the most inopportune times, despite everyones best efforts – that may have been what happened with the first arriving engine in regards to getting water on the fire. Seattle is an outstanding fire department. And I do not work for Seattle FD. Smoke detectors!
The cause of fire was extremely important.
Will someone please update this blog if there’s a collection of clothes or delivery of food?
If you truly have questions or comments I would suggest directing them to the fire department where they may actually do some good, not discussing it on a neighborhood forum.
Seattle Fire Department, Incident #51962- 334 NW 41 St. The incident was categorized as a ‘Fire in Building’, multi-residential structure.
RESPONSE: 5 Fire Engines, 2 Ladder Trucks, 2 Battalion Chiefs, 1 Medic Unit, 1 Aid Car, 1 Air (supply) Unit, 1 Safety Officer, 1 Deputy Chief and Staffing Assistant were initially dispatched to the fire.
TIME LINE:
10:04:03 – 911 call received
10:04:35 – Fire Department response was dispatched
10:09:05 – Engine 18 arrived first on scene
10:09:18 – Ladder 8 arrived
10:10:35 – Medic Unit 18 arrived
10:11:35 – Engine 20 arrived (second fire engine)
Looks like unit 3 was completely re-wired 2 years ago. Someone commenting at a news site also mentioned a fire at the same building 2 years ago. Any idea which unit had this fire or the last one?
I just heard of this tradgedy and all I could do was stop what I was doing and say a prayer for the those who were lost and their families, as well as the firefighters.
God, grant them all your comfort……….
say, angelatini, why don’t you save your lectures for your children. people can raise whatever questions and concerns they may have in comments sections…who the heck are you?
This is a terrible loss. Please, for the sake of the victims, remove the video from this post. While I’m sure the video is there to show the scene and be informational, it may bring quite a bit of pain to the victims of this incident.
Family members mourning the loss of loved ones should not also need to relive the scene by seeing and hearing the mother cry out in agony for her children.
My thoughts and prayers are with this family, their loved ones, the neighbors, and with the firefighters who risk their lives on a daily basis. Comfort to you all.
i agree, nf…not much to be gained watching a mother agonizing like that. ooh but it may help with “hits” or whatever.
Breaking a window out like that on your own will only speed the fire progression up. It gives oxygen to the fire which is all it needs to take off.
Also, if you note the 911 log it appears Engine 9, the Fremont Engine, was on an Aid call at the time so Engine 18 was the first in from Ballard.
My sincerest condolences to the families of those lost. May God bless and keep you.
“People complain so much about having to pay for services… and this is what happens.”
That’s right folks, you dare challenge government spending, you want kids to burn to death.
Nice way to inject left wing politics into a tragedy.
WHAT is that video doing on this site?Take it down, for God’s sakes.
You’re right, eric. This place is all about the numbers of hits. Professionalism, compassion and brains be damned.
Terrible tragedy. MyBallard was mentioned on the MSNBC website. I just want to think this wonderful website/blog for their reporting. We drove by the Fremont area around 11 today and our first reaction was to check MyBallard to see what had happened. Of course they were the first to report. You, MyBallard deserve all the news awards you get. Thanks for the information. Again a terrible tragedy today.
Thank not think
I am putting together a benefit show to help pay for
the costs of the funeral.. please email if you want to assist with this..
I live next door.
It might be tough for some people to watch but this is a neighborhood news blog. They report on accidents all the time, that’s their job. Just because this one is close and personal does not mean they should not report what was seen. Should they not show crying Haitian parents after the earthquake?
That is what any news site does, whether local, national or global. Hopefully this reporting will stimulate something positive and get some help for the survivors.
Allecia (comment 31) Did you mean to give your e-mail where we could contact you? I believe another neighbor (Beckey) is also working on setting up something – maybe she has already spoken to you?
Haitian earthquake survivors and their relatives won’t be reading myballard.com, now will they?
The video is unnecessary and exploitative. And par for the course on this blog.
Please take down this video. It is a total breach of this woman’s privacy. Would you want the most painful moment of your life posted on the internet simply to satisfy others’ morbid curiosity? Surely we can understand this woman’s heartbreak by simply reading the story. If you won’t take this video down, I would suggest that people respect this family’s pain and privacy by choosing not to watch.
where is your respect My Ballard? Take down this video at once…there is nothing to gain by having this on here.
My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones and the firefighters.
If you have a fire in your home, get everyone out immediately and call 9-1-1. Breaking windows (providing air) and/or trying to fight a fire with a garden hose (not enough gallons per minute to put it out – think of how long it would take you to fill a 5 gallon bucket) are unlikely to be productive for a fire that’s beyond the incipient (very beginning) phase. You might injure yourself and will probably inadvertently accelerate the growth of the fire.
Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks posting this video is unethical.
The National Press Photographers’ Association’s code of ethics says:
“Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.”
The Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics says:
“Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief. Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy. Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.”
Out of respect for our neighbors and basic decency, please take this video down.
Hi all, after reading your concerns, we’ve removed the video.
We want to assure everyone, we were incredibly careful to be respectful as we covered this story. The video itself was more respectful than what we watched on the 5 p.m. news. (and we did not approach the family for interviews, as others did). But as many of you point out, as journalists who live here in the neighborhood we cover, we’re different than a local TV newscast.
Thank you for all your comments — we read them all and take them very seriously.
Cory and Kate
(This comment was updated)
I happened to be driving east on Leary Way just as the first firetrucks arrived. I pulled offroad, parked and witnessed the following over a period of about twenty minutes:
1. The firefighters conducted themselves at all times in a totally professional way, in every way, to fight the fully involved fire;
2. During the twenty minutes I was closely watching, at no time did I observe any citizen inform the firefighters or the police, that there might be any person remaining in the burning building;
3. There was one woman only, who was extremely distraught, who was restrained by citizens when she tried to run into the burning building. Even this woman, in clear distress, was not alarming any authorities, that anyone was in the building. I did hear her yelling, “my baby, my baby”. At one point, a young girl was taken to her, and she seemed somewhat relieved. I assumed this was the baby (singular) that she was worried about;
4. No other person, even those who seemed to know the distraught woman, made any effort to alert any authority, that there may have been unaccounted for persons, and that there may have been one or more people remaining in the burning building.
Given the bizarre detatchment of close friends and neighbors, who stood by and said nothing(except for the distraught woman), and now with the shocking and horrific information that five people were in fact still in the burning apartment, and that those five all died, I am forced to ask why the hell didn’t anybody else say one word to the many authorities on hand???
Let us not jump to conclusions and begin to blame the Firefighters, the City, the water hoses and the ladder placement: Ask instead, why those who knew persons were missing and possibly inside the burning building, not urgently tell anyone and everyone who would listen???
Lives could have been saved if the apartment had been evacuated the instant that fire was detected (were there smoke detectors in place, and working?).
Lives could have been saved if Firefighters were told that there were still children inside the building, switching their priority to saving lives, instead of just putting out the fire.
And of course, lives could have been saved if the fire never started – exactly how did it happen??
Let’s first get answers to these questions, before we even consider what many already have done, in error. Do not blame the Firefighters.
Three thoughts…
I agree Fremontmimi posting the video was not necessary. ( bloggers still have some things to learn from the professional media )
As a former first responder, when a persons world is falling apart in front of them everything that’s being done to help always seems to being going too slow ( because our perception of time in high stress high adrenaline situations can drastically alter from reality ) .
So I would hold off on criticism until all the the facts are in.
I would remove the link as well. I find it totally offensive and of no value whatsoever to have this link publicly available. The moments after a family tragedy like this are not ones that anyone who has actually experienced something like this would ever want to live through again, much less have their grief exposed to the entire world at such a vulnerable moment.
Really quite shocked you would be involved in this kind of reporting- unfortunately I expect it from the general profit based media, but not here.
I like how all these people watched the video, then screamed “how dare they?!” that MyBallard posted it. It doesn’t start automatically. You have to press play. And what did you all think it was going to be? You’re all gawkers, just like the folks who shot that video, and just like the folks that posted it here.
Oh, and Baxter II: just ’cause *you* didn’t hear anyone tell a firefighter there were still people inside, doesn’t mean someone didn’t tell them (the dispatcher, for example). You’re jumping to just as many conclusions as you’re accusing others of jumping to.
I knew the 14 year old… R.I.P. :'(
watching the video takes two parties. GS, you’re reporting news here. i’m surprised you caved.
nonplussed-and yes, there are haitians living in ballard. they may not be reading myballard i’m sure they watch the news here.
Shame on the Fire Department.
Joseph(the 14 yr old) and i were good buds, like yesterday, he did the funniest thing ive ever seen, and not even 24 hrs later, hes dead
Connie – you have NO insight into the circumstances of this tragedy. You are the one who should be ashamed of yourself.
“Shame on the Fire Department.”
are u kidding? These people risk their lives every day for us.
Hey Clem – It seems the majority is with me. Piss off.
I wanted to fill in a couple details that Baxter II missed. I live around the corner and was one of the first people to arrive. The fire dept had not arrived yet, I called them immediately, and called the dispatcher again when I heard there were people inside (The only person who appeared to know who was inside was the distraught mother, I found out from her that there were 2 kids inside and they were upstairs, I never heard about the other people).
When I arrived there was smoke billowing out the entire(from top to bottom) front door as well as the windows. In my opinion no one could have gone in successfully at that point and I saw no one attempt. The fire flashed about a minute later. I do not remember hearing smoke detectors in the time I was there but it may have been too hot already, or maybe I just don’t remember that.
When the first truck arrived, I told the first firefighter out the door(the east most truck on 41st, the firefighter that came out the north side middle door) about the people in the house that I knew about and where they were.
Baxter, I’m not sure what type of authority you would have wanted to see from the friends and neighbors. Wonderful neighbors and friends were trying to calm and care for the distraught woman, neighbors tried their best with garden hose to do what they could until the fire department took over, the unharmed child was being taken care of and kept in a safe location, and the firefighters were given all the information available, and people were doing there best to stay out of the firefighters way. In 20-20 hindsight I guess having someone move some cars might have allowed the trucks a bit closer, but that is pretty minor.
In any event like this, your sense of time gets so skewed, it is difficult to objectively judge. I noted that the time from my call to the fire being put out was less then 20 minutes, although it certainly seemed longer then that. I noticed the first truck was not able to provide any water, they tried to take their hose to the second truck(there was a hydrant right there but I don’t think they tried it presumably because they had better options at that point), but I think it was the third truck that finally got water going. I saw no firefighter enter the unit until the fire was out and the roof vented, I think it was just to hot even with their gear. They climbed on the roof to cut holes in the attic with a chainsaw( I assume to allow the heat to escape so they could enter the house; the actual flames were put out by this time) It makes sense to me that they put the ladder on the next unit over so they could make sure that the roof/ladder would not collapse under them.
One comment on something I noticed; the medic truck was one of the first trucks there, I was surprised they took so long to attend to the distraught mother. I don’t know how the the medics crisis counseling training is or if there were waiting for a person with more specific training, but it seemed like a long time before a medic attended to her.
My heart and prayers go out to the family and my thanks go out to the fire department and everyone else who helped out.
To answer another question, yes this was the same unit as the fire a couple years ago, although note the times story mentioned it was a different family living there then. The fire a couple years ago was started by a candle and was in a upstairs bedroom and no one was injured.
I would like to have an explanation as to why both of the first responding FD vehicles raced past.
I want to know why there was zero attempt to go around back and get a ladder up to the window to get the five victims out.
How about an explanation as to why there was no attempt to use the hydrant at Leary & 41st for critical minutes.
I want to know why the first responders bumped into each other after saying that they knew there were people upstairs.
I was one of the callers and the timeline being provided is incorrect.
I don’t care how it is cut or dry, I was there and I know.
The truck malfunction was only a small part of a much bigger problem..
There was no plan, no one in charge & the entire thing stinks.
It took too long to get there, there was no cohesion and now there is a big CYA going on IMPO.
The mayor and his grandstanding is just as useless as the FD person who broke the window of a neighbors BMW while rolling up the hose.
SFD FAILED & they KNOW IT!
Go ahead, CYA, but inside you know who you are and how you screwed up.
From the dropped hose on the Fremont or Ballard Bridge we heard about later, to bumping into each other, to the absolute failure to make any attempt to go around the bldg for another avenue to get in.
There was zero attempt made to save the lives of the people upstairs.
That woman screamed like no tomorrow for her children and it was up to neighbors to hold her back for some time. It was at least 30 plus minutes before any official help for her or the other woman that wasn’t being provided by neighbors. It was heart wrenching to hear her scream and cry asking why they weren’t doing something.
Many thanks to the neighbors who stepped up & did your best.
There are five lives lost and nothing will bring them back.
Please people, teach your kids about fire, have working fire extinguishers & know how to use them.
This was a very preventable tragedy in too many ways. My condolences to all involved including the neighbors and surrounding neighborhood.
Our love and full support goes out to them. We love u Helen………Nelson Family Jackson Park
@ neighbor (#51) – The SFD does not provide any “crisis counseling training” or anything like that. The paramedics are there to provide medical treatment for citizens or firefighters who are physically injured. I’m not discounting the emotional crisis I’m sure the woman was having. We generally call the Red Cross or our fire department chaplain to the incident scene to help the distraught.
@ neighbor3 (#52) – I wasn’t there but I can probably answer some of your questions.
“I want to know why there was zero attempt to go around back and get a ladder up to the window to get the five victims out.” The technique you allude to is called vent, enter, search and is a very limited tool. When firefighters enter a window away from where a hose line enters, they create a ventilation point for the fire (feed it air) and the fire will probably be drawn to that exit point. Additionally the fire hose stream may push the fire towards the exit point, the victims, and the firefighters. The fire conditions usually preclude much of a search beyond the immediate area of the window used for entry. It’s a tool but not one without negative considerations.
“How about an explanation as to why there was no attempt to use the hydrant at Leary & 41st for critical minutes.” SFD fire engines carry 500 gallons of water which is enough to extinguish ~1500 square feet of building that is totally engulfed in fire.
I can’t speak to the command issues or bumping into each other but I recognize that anything less than perfection on the part of the fire department at this incident will be dissected and magnified. It’s a tragedy and people want someone to blame.
I looked at the raw video feed on KIRO and it appears the fire had flashed over as the first units arrived. That means everything had reached ignition temperature and was on fire from floor to ceiling with temperatures of 1000 degrees plus. Unless someone was in another room behind a closed door, it’s unlikely the fire was survivable at that point (as the first hose line was being laid).
As far as extinguishers go, you shouldn’t risk it. If you fail to extinguish the fire, you place yourself, your family and neighbors at risk and delay calling 911, giving the fire all that much more time to grow and become entrenched. Get your family out immediately, alert your neighbors and call 911.
Certainly teach your children to respect fire and to alert an adult if they encounter one or implements such as matches or a lighter. That’s just a general fire safety rule. I have NO idea what happened here and am not implying anything of the sort occurred.
Thanks Firedude…some of the amateur firefighters here must think it’s like a movie where they just kick in the front door and run in.
angletini–do you work for sfd?
why are you telling me how to use this blog?
yeah, let’s cover it up–great idea.
BMWL, exactly. Bunker gear is not an invincibility suit that allows them to withstand any and all conditions.
This is very sad and the stupid firefighters cant do anything thats just pathetic
Did I say don’t talk about it? No. I said don’t criticize before you have all the information. And no darling, I don’t work for SFD, SPD, etc. I am just more concerned about the victims well being than being critical on a neighborhood blog that the victims can see. It isn’t constructive when all is said and done, is it? I would direct my comments to the source, where it may be helpful.
“This is very sad and the stupid firefighters cant do anything thats just pathetic”
Well, next time you need help, don’t call them.
I probably won’t.
darling
Some of those who wondered why the firefighters didn’t directly connect to the nearest fire hydrants don’t seem to realize that there isn’t enough pressure in the line to fight the fire, you need the pumps on board the rigs — which is why the transmission failure on a rig tested just that morning was so surprising.
I love the arm chair experts on this blog. I get it – it was upsetting. But has it occurred to anyone else here how upset the fire fighters are too? It isn’t just another day at the office for them. Almost all of them have children and they take this home with them. My father is retired SFD and he preferred working in Station 10 (headquarters) because he didn’t have to respond to household fires and see families homes destroyed or family members die.
It may have seemed like 20 minutes on scene while it was going down, like forever, but clearly it was not. And an emergency scene is chaotic, nothing is orderly – which is why it is an emergency. But everyone has a role that is not always clear to the public and bystanders.
SPD & SFD have to protect lives and property, which includes not putting more people at risk when the fire flashes over, is too hot and smoky to enter, etc. These guys are not supermen, but they will do just about anything to save lives, including pets.
soo sad soo sorry i wish that never happend my brother is a freind of one of them i wish that wud of heppen to someyon else.
I knew joey and i have to say that every day i am going to felll a hole in my heart for the rest of my live i just can not believe that my friend died i am jennings and i will always hate fire fighters because of this day my friend could have been saved. i miss that little guy/
” i wish that wud of heppen to someyon else.”
Wow.
My hope is that a review of city building codes will result in required sprinkler systems for all multi-family housing projects. It just makes common sense, and sprinklers have proven time and time again to be the most effective way to save lives in cases like this.
except that sprinkers are so expensive. will the $10/sf in additional building costs be justified?
obviously when lives could be saved, yes, but what about the rest of the time? how do we know the sprinklers wouldn’t malfunction like the fire hydrants?
speaking of which, my neighbors across the street and their friends constantly park in front of the fire hydrant. why do some people have no sense?