Seattle Fire Dept. rule 3-alarm Ballard blaze as ‘undetermined’ as they piece together what happened
Feb 9, 2025, 11:18 AM | Updated: Feb 10, 2025, 2:30 pm
A building under construction in the 900 block of NW 54th St. in the Ballard and Woodland neighborhoods caught fire Sunday morning. Photo by John Odegard
The roof of a three-story building under construction collapsed during a three-alarm fire in Ballard that also spread to two other buildings. The Seattle Fire Department ruled the case of the fire as “undetermined.”
The fire broke out just before 6:30 a.m. Sunday, near 9th N.W. and N.W. 54th, directly across from the Gilman Playground and soccer fields.
“When firefighters arrived, they reported flames through the roof of this three-story building,” said Seattle Fire Department Spokesperson David Cuerpo.
The fire spread to four units of an eight-unit townhome apartment building next door on the east side of the building under construction.
“Our firefighters worked quickly to evacuate everyone in that building and to make sure everyone was a safe distance from the fire,” Cuerpo said.
Where there any injuries?
One woman in her mid-20s was hurt and medics treated her at the scene. She was not transported to a hospital.
“The third and second floors of the building under construction have completely collapsed and we are maintaining a defensive position for that portion of the fire,” Cuerpo said.
The fire department coordinated with Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Energy to secure natural gas, electricity and water to the buildings.
“About 100 firefighters responded to the scene,” Cuerpo said. “We had multiple fire trucks that had aerial ladders that deploy upwards to gain access to the roof that was on fire of the building that was under construction.”
Those aerial ladder trucks also sprayed water on an adjacent residential building next door.
The fire spread to a third structure—a four-story building under construction to the west. This building lacked a sprinkler system. While the flames damaged its exterior wall, they did not extend into the construction site.
A senior housing facility, situated diagonally from the burning building, was also at risk. Fire crews worked through the morning to prevent the flames from reaching it.
