WATCH: Three-alarm fire blazes inside Ballard building
Oct 7, 2019, 1:06 PM | Updated: 3:53 pm
More than 150 firefighters were sent to battle a three-alarm fire in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood Monday. The fire department instructed nearby residents to keep windows and doors closed to avoid exposure to “toxic” smoke from the blaze.
Fire crews had the fire under control by 3:30 p.m., using water on a few remaining hot spots. Firefighters will monitor the building overnight to ensure that the building does not reignite. One firefighter was transported to Harborview Medical Center with minor injuries.
The fire at a building in the 2300 block of NW Market Street was reported at noon. Within an hour, it was upgraded to a three-alarm incident. About 65 percent of the Seattle Fire Department’s resources were directed to fight the fire.
“When crews first arrived on scene, they checked out the SuperCuts business, that’s where there was a light haze of smoke on the ceiling,” said Kristin Tinsley with the Seattle Fire Department.
Everyone in the building was evacuated.
“There’s a lot of smoke billowing out of the roof right now, out of the attic space of this structure,” Tinsley said around 1 p.m. “So we cut holes in the roof to allow those toxic gases and smoke to escape. There is still a ton of smoke coming out of it.”
Firefighters were seen with chainsaws cutting the holes in the roof. But they could not stay there for long. By 2:45 p.m. the roof had mostly burned away, and spectators from above could see directly through to the charred shops inside.
The building houses about five businesses, including a SuperCuts, La Isla, and Kitchen n Things. NW Market Street was closed off so fire crews could tackle the fire.
The cause of the fire is not known. Tinsley said that an investigation into the incident will likely take a long time.
PSA: if you live in Ballard and smell smoke, close your windows and doors to avoid smoke exposure. pic.twitter.com/MnJP5czGyD
— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) October 7, 2019
