Deadly fires sweep through Seattle in 24-hour period

61-year-old killed in Seattle apartment fire

One person is dead, several were injured and one person was arrested after an apartment fire early Wednesday morning in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood.

SEATTLE - Several fires broke out across Seattle overnight following the hottest day on record for the year, resulting in power outages, injuries and tragic fatalities.

In the early evening on Tuesday, a blaze near Highway 99 in South Seattle forced power outages. Hours later, a house fire in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood saw a dog and its owner narrowly escape harm.

Four fires burn in King County; two turn deadly

Four fires are burning in King County. Two of them are deadly, one in Beacon Hill, the other in Belltown. The other fires are in North Seattle and Burien.

Tragically, other fires proved fatal. A 90-year-old woman lost her life in a house fire in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, and a 61-year-old man was killed in a fire in the Belltown neighborhood.

In the most devastating incident, the Seattle Fire Department responded to a building fire at the Vine Court Apartments at 2 a.m. on Wednesday. The fire was declared a mass casualty incident to ensure sufficient resources were available. Heavy smoke and flames were reported on the third floor, requiring firefighters to perform multiple rescues.

Six people were injured and transported to the hospital, and a 61-year-old man tragically died in the blaze. Neighbors expressed their shock and fear, with resident Chadrickk Cash describing the scene as "chaos" and expressing his desire to know the cause of the fire.

During the incident, Seattle police detained and questioned a 65-year-old man but released him after further investigation by homicide detectives. This fire occurred in the same location where a car was intentionally set on fire in Aug. 2022, but authorities have not found evidence linking the two events.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. While residents of the third floor have not been allowed to return home, others have been permitted to go back inside. The lingering damage from the flames continues to affect the community.