A full contingent of Seattle Fire units fought a massive fire that completely destroyed the framing of an under construction house and spread to a family home next door while threatening neighboring houses across the block on 20th Ave E Saturday morning.
There were no reports of injured occupants but the construction site appeared to be a total loss and one house to the south of the fire near 20th and Prospect was partially destroyed. Beginning just after 4 AM, crews fought the fires for nearly two hours as smoke continued to rise from the crowded block of houses.
Firefighters faced challenges dealing with the tightly packed homes and troubles with water pressure.
There was nobody living in the under construction home. Neighbors said it has been an active construction site. By the time firefighters arrived around four minutes after the first 911 call, the construction was already fully engulfed and spewing smoke and embers into the air. The fire also had spread to the house to the south. Two hours after the fight began, the secondary fire was declared under control.
The couple who owned the burning house next door said it had been their home since 1976. The house was built in 1911, according to King County records.
The Seattle Fire Marshal is investigating how the fire started.
UPDATE 12:15 PM: SFD has not yet announced any findings related to the cause of the fire and the monetary amount of damage to the involved structures including the under construction house, the house to the south, and a detached garage. The owners of the southern home are art collectors and have amassed a renowned collection of African art:
Dinner at Dr. Mark Groudine’s house is always a big gathering. Even when Groudine and his wife are the only ones feasting, elaborately carved wood figures, standing elbow to elbow, join them in the dining room. Groudine has been acquiring, researching and sharing his vast collection of Oceanic and African art with museums for decades. His curiosity about the journey and cultural context of each piece — he even pores over antique cargo-ship logs — reflects a mind that’s delved into scientific research at Fred Hutch since 1979.
We’re hoping for good news from SFD about the fate of the collection.
DAMN…sincere condolences to the people living next door who suffered fire damage to their home.
It’s basically out but the trucks are still there. It started at about 4:15. No injuries. It seems to only have spread to one other house.
How tragic for the people in the house next door. I hope their collection can be salvaged, and their other personal losses aren’t too great.
Wow. Looks like the under construction house is really close to its singed neighbors. I guess that’s one of the dangers of building a gigantic houses on small lots.
I wandered by the scene this afternoon, and overheard one of the firefighters (perhaps an investigator, I don’t know for sure) tell another onlooker that the fire was “suspicious”.
Is it really a good idea to be blabbing the fact the next-door neighbors have a significant art collection? If I were them I wouldn’t exactly want that splashed all over the place.
I’m just grateful that Mark and Cynthia are unharmed!