50 firefighters battle blaze as South Seattle synagogue, funeral home catches fire
Jun 23, 2026, 2:12 PM
A photo of Seattle Fire Department firefighters battling the synagogue fire in South Seattle. (Photo: John Odegard, courtesy of the Seattle Fire Department)
(Photo: John Odegard, courtesy of the Seattle Fire Department)
A South Seattle synagogue housing a funeral home went up in flames early Tuesday morning, requiring 50 firefighters to respond for assistance.
At approximately 3:31 a.m., the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) received reports of smoke coming from a structure in the 5100 block of S. Holly Street, SFD announced.
In response, an engine and a ladder truck were dispatched to investigate the scene. Ladder 12 arrived first, shortly followed by Engine 28.
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Fire spread from a garage into a two-story structure housing a funeral home
Crews reported there was a working fire that had spread from the garage into a two-story structure, and the incident was upgraded to a full response for a working structure fire.
A synagogue sits on the property, and the two-story structure contains a funeral home managed by the synagogue.
The fire department noted that due to the extent of the garage fire, firefighters had to retreat from the garage and began to fight the fire from the building’s exterior. The fire burned through the roof, which caused it to collapse.
Hand lines and aerial ladders were used to battle the flames from the ground and up above. SFD moved to a “defensive attack” on the garage while other crews continued with an “offensive attack” inside the main structure. Firefighters reported smoke and fire in the void space of the second story.
The fire was eventually brought under control, but firefighters continued to battle with flare-ups and hot spots in the garage. At 6:01 a.m., command reported that the fire had been extinguished.
SFD noted most of the fire damage was in the garage, and firefighters reported that the fire did not make contact with any deceased individuals in the funeral home.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
In total, 50 firefighters responded to assist at the scene, including seven engines, four ladder trucks, Rescue Company 1, two medic units, an aid unit, and command staff.
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