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Woman rescued in Seattle apartment fire
Seattle firefighters rescued a woman from a burning apartment or condominium complex in Beacon Hill as residents were forced to leave the burning building.
SEATTLE - Seattle firefighters rescued a woman from a burning apartment or condominium complex in Beacon Hill as residents were forced to leave the burning building.
What we know:
Fire crews say they were initially sent to a nearly identical address on Capitol Hill due to incorrect information given to them in a 911 call, then had to reroute to the correct address in Beacon Hill.
Neighbors told FOX 13 Sunday that they believed a lag in response time added fuel to the flames.
"It was apartment 203 on fire," said one neighbor.
"Both of my cats are dead because the fire department took so long to show up," said Kristen Adamson, another neighbor who lost pets in the fire.
The women FOX 13 talked to said it took around 12–15 minutes for fire crews to arrive. They both felt the delay led to the destruction of additional units and the loss of Kristen's cats.
She described what happened after the apartment below her caught on fire.
"I almost could barely get out," said Kristen.
She said she first realized something was wrong when someone pounded on the door.
"When I first opened the door, there was so much smoke," said Kristen. "I didn’t even have time to get my phone and my keys. I just got my purse because it was just by the door. I wanted to try to get one cat, but it was too smokey."
Kristen and another neighbor, who did not share her name, said it seemed to take forever for crews to arrive.
"If they would have gotten here sooner, they would have saved her two cats," said her neighbor.
"They took 15 mins to get here, wouldn’t go up and get my cats out, now both of my cats are dead," said Kristen, wiping away tears.
FOX 13 reached out to Seattle Fire about those concerns. A spokesperson sent a response timeline, which is mapped out below.
Beacon Hill apartment fire
Seattle Fire Department Response Timeline:
- 11:58 a.m. First 911 call
- 12:01 p.m. responded to wrong address in Capitol Hill
- 12:03 p.m. correct address reported
- 12:08 p.m. crews arrive at Beacon Hill Fire
- 12:10 p.m. upgraded to a 2-alarm fire
Here's the full statement from the Seattle Fire Department:
The first 911 call came in at 11:58 a.m. The first three 911 calls reported incorrect addresses, including the 1700 block of 13th Ave. (Capitol Hill), and 14th Ave. S & S. Massachusetts. Crews arrived on scene at 13th Ave. (the incorrect address) at 12:01 p.m. and reported nothing was visible. At 12:03 p.m., a 911 caller reported the correct address in the 1700 block of 13th Ave. S. (Beacon Hill). Dispatch then informed all responding units of the correct address. At 12:08, crews arrived on scene of the fire. The fire was upgraded to a 2-alarm fire at 12:10 p.m.
Firefighters ultimately rescued an 82-year-old woman from the building after they reached the fire.
Seattle firefighter, Beacon Hill resident injured by fire at apartment complex
Two people were hospitalized, and two cats died in a fire at a two-alarm apartment complex in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood.
"Our paramedics transported them to Harborview for emergency medical care," said David Cuerpo, Public Information Officer for the Seattle Fire Department. "One firefighter sustained minor injuries and was also transported to Harborview Medical Center."
Settle Fire says by 12:46 p.m. the fire on both the second and third floors was under control and it was extinguished at 2:16 p.m.
Neighbors say it's a devastating situation.
"My two cats died. I don’t care about my stuff," said Kristen.
"I care about her two cats and the people that were in that apartment complex," said her neighbor.
The Seattle Fire Department said Sunday the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
The department went on to say that the incident highlights two issues that can happen during a fire.
The full statement on that is below:
When crews arrived on scene, the front door of one of the units was open. Closing doors limits oxygen to a fire, thereby slowing its spread and potentially limiting damage. Please close the doors when evacuating a burning structure, if you can do so safely. Once you get to a safe place, call 911 to report the fire.
During this fire, the initial 911 calls reported incorrect/incomplete addresses. In order for firefighters to respond as quickly as possible, it is important to know the accurate location of the incident. Dispatchers will ask for the specific address and confirm the location before getting off the call. If you are unsure, look for the closest cross streets to help crews respond to the correct block address.
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