SEATTLE — Demolition permits have been filed for a vacant Seattle apartment building that caught fire early New Year’s Day.
The building, located in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood at 823 Madison Street, is a four-story vacant structure. The 55,700-square-foot apartment building with retail space was originally built in 1902, according to the permit application.
A 3-alarm fire prompted the response of over 100 firefighters on Jan. 1 and, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation, several streets nearby the building remain closed.
Firefighters were unable to conduct a search of the building, but one person was seen on the second floor of the building during the fire. Firefighters were not able to reach the person and it is unknown if the person evacuated, according to the Seattle Fire Department. There were also people in the basement of the building who evacuated uninjured.
Seattle's Department of Construction and Inspections said it expects the complete removal of the building to take several weeks. The department told KING 5 it is prioritizing the review of the demolition permit for the location and is waiting on additional information from the owner's engineer.
"We expect it may take several weeks to complete removal of the building," the department said in a statement. "Madison Street and 9th Avenue will remain closed until substantial completion of the work."
The building has “recently been subject to more than one fire,” according to permit paperwork filed by the City of Seattle.
Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said there was another major fire at the same vacant building about a year and a half ago. Three nearby buildings were evacuated as a result of the flames. Investigators determined the 2022 fire was caused by an open flame that tipped over and ignited a mattress and was fueled by other combustibles, KING 5 previously reported.
The demolition permits cited fire damage and safety concerns as reasons for the demolition.
Paul Brienen, president of Brienen Structural Engineers, said in a letter to the city that “it is our professional opinion the structure is not salvageable and should be demolished … as soon as possible."
