Late in the evening on Thursday November 6th the Seattle Fire Department rushed to a 2-alarm apartment fire on 2nd Ave NW. The three story apartment building located between NW 36th Street and NW 39th Street reportedly had flames shooting from the third story while the second story was completely engulfed. Two neighboring apartment complexes were evacuated and through the efforts of 90 firefighters the fire was contained.
The apartment fire claimed one life, an 81 year old resident of the building died Friday morning at Harborview. He suffered extensive burns on 95% of his body according to the Seattle Fire Department. Another resident, a 58 year old man is credited with coming to the aid of his elderly neighbor. He was taken to Harborview with 2nd and 3rd degree burns but is in stable condition.
Firefighters on the scene at NW 2nd and NW 36th Street this past Thursday evening. Thank you to Fremonster Lea for the image.
An investigation is underway to determined what cause the fire, it is currently classified as an undetermined fire. The damage is also still being determined, it is estimated that the building suffered $200,000 in damage to the structure and $50,000 worth of contents.
The most recent report from the Seattle Fire Department can be found on the Fire Line blog.