No injuries were reported after a Seattle lumber yard caught fire Saturday night near the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Firefighters were still at the scene at 11 a.m. Sunday.
The fire started around 8:40 p.m. in a lumberyard warehouse on W. Ewing Street. The Seattle Fire Department reported that crews saw flames up to 100-feet high when they first arrived.
The fire impacted five structures owned by Gascoigne Lumber Company and Northwest Millworks. Two of the structures collapsed. The massive amount of combustible materials caused the fire to spread more quickly, Seattle fire said.
The four-alarm fire impacted power service in the area, knocking out electricity to some residence halls at Seattle Pacific University campus. Some residents were forced to leave the buildings.
Fire crews spoke to the owner of the lumber company who told officials the contents were primarily lumber, Seattle fire said in a tweet. The department also encouraged people in the area to keep windows and doors closed to avoid smoke exposure.
"Thank you to Seattle police, Seattle City Light, and our partner fire agencies in King County for helping to keep the Seattle community safe,” said Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins.
Seattle fire crews worked through Saturday night and into Sunday morning to contain and to extinguish the fire. The cause is under investigation.
