Post by Spider on Oct 14, 2015 17:38:07 GMT -8
Warehouse Fire in SoDo
Carol Reeves - KJET News
The industrial district was rocked by an explosion in the early hours of Sunday October 11. Official reports say the fire was reported at approximately 12:30 AM, when a warehouse at the corner of Occidental Ave S and S Holgate St exploded into flames without warning. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the property over the next two hours, preventing the fire from spreading to neighboring properties; the warehouse itself was declared a total loss, but no deaths or major injuries have been reported.
One eyewitness interviewed at the scene said, "I was just out walking my dog when I smelled some gas. Then the whole building went up. The explosion ended up scaring off my dog!" At the time of his statement, the Seattle Man had not been able to recover his dog. One police officer at the scene also noted the fortuitous timing of the explosion, saying "if this had happened in the middle of a Tuesday or something, there could have been a lot of vehicles and pedestrians in the area; this could have been a lot worse."
Fire department officials have released a brief statement on the incident pointing to a natural gas leak as the likely cause and noting that it appears the building was not in compliance with fire code at the time. The property owner was unavailable for comment, although statements from other business owners in the area indicate that the building has been vacant for months. No word yet on whether any charges will be brought against the owner for fire code issues with the building.
Arson is not currently suspected.
Carol Reeves - KJET News
The industrial district was rocked by an explosion in the early hours of Sunday October 11. Official reports say the fire was reported at approximately 12:30 AM, when a warehouse at the corner of Occidental Ave S and S Holgate St exploded into flames without warning. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the property over the next two hours, preventing the fire from spreading to neighboring properties; the warehouse itself was declared a total loss, but no deaths or major injuries have been reported.
One eyewitness interviewed at the scene said, "I was just out walking my dog when I smelled some gas. Then the whole building went up. The explosion ended up scaring off my dog!" At the time of his statement, the Seattle Man had not been able to recover his dog. One police officer at the scene also noted the fortuitous timing of the explosion, saying "if this had happened in the middle of a Tuesday or something, there could have been a lot of vehicles and pedestrians in the area; this could have been a lot worse."
Fire department officials have released a brief statement on the incident pointing to a natural gas leak as the likely cause and noting that it appears the building was not in compliance with fire code at the time. The property owner was unavailable for comment, although statements from other business owners in the area indicate that the building has been vacant for months. No word yet on whether any charges will be brought against the owner for fire code issues with the building.
Arson is not currently suspected.