2 dead after large fire at Beacon Hill homeless encampment
Jun 14, 2021, 1:05 PM | Updated: 1:15 pm
(Andrew Smith, Flickr)
(Andrew Smith, Flickr)
Two people have been reported dead after a large fire at a homeless encampment in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood early Monday morning.
According to the Seattle Fire Department, flames from the fire reached 50 feet in height, fully engulfing a “structure made of pallets and tarps.”
Responders were able to quickly extinguish the fire shortly after arriving on the scene in the 3000 block of 25th Avenue South. Firefighters then searched the burnt-down encampment area, finding an adult male and female deceased inside the structure.
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Seattle Fire warns that “fires at encampments can spread rapidly due to the type of material involved and close proximity to brush.”
“Additionally, fires present a significant danger to encampment occupants, as there are not standard fire safety systems in place (such as smoke alarms) to alert occupants of an active fire,” SFD said in a written release.
The exact cause of the fire remains “undetermined” as investigators await an autopsies for the two victims.
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