SFD: One dead, three rescued in fire in vacant apartment in North Seattle

An apartment fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning in north Seattle turned fatal, with one person pronounced dead at the scene.

Seattle Fire Department personnel arrived at the 900 block of NE 63rd Street around 4 a.m. to find four people inside. The fire had started in a vacant apartment building located down the street from a Whole Foods.

“The fire is under control. Crews remain on scene to monitor for flare-ups and conduct cleanup efforts. The incident is under investigation,” the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) wrote on X shortly before 5 a.m. “A total of four patients were treated at the scene. Two sustained minor injuries and did not require hospitalization. Two are in critical condition.”

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Emergency crews are responding to a fire at a vacant building near Roosevelt Way NE and NE 63rd St. Please avoid this area.

— Seattle Fire Department (@SeattleFire) June 4, 2024

All four people found by the SFD were rescued from the building. One person succumbed to their injuries and died at the scene, while the other three rescued people sustained injuries and were taken to a hospital.

“One person is in critical condition. We performed life-saving measures on this adult female, but the person was pronounced deceased at the scene,” SFD spokesman David Cuerpo told KIRO Newsradio. “The first person we found when we arrived at the scene was an adult male who was taken to the hospital. He is now in critical condition. The other two people who were able to escape the fire sustained minor injuries and were extricated at the scene.”

A fire broke out in the building last month. Cuerpo confirmed that the building was declared dilapidated and classified as “vacant” after the fire in May.

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“On May 8, there was a major fire in the third floor apartment of the same building, which left the building vacant,” Cuerpo said.

According to KIRO 7, there is no information on the person who died in the fire Tuesday morning.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

Contributors: Sam Campbell, KIRO Newsradio; KIRO 7

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and email him here.