A four-alarm fire burned late Saturday and into Sunday in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, damaging two businesses and straining fire department resources.
Business owner Robert Gascoigne came to the scene as flames tore through his wholesale lumber company.
“We have a picture of the company going back to 1925, it's pretty close to 100 years old, and my dad came here in 1959,” Gascoigne explained. “I came here in 1974, so it's been a family owned business all these years."
Those decades of history and memories were no match for the flames that swept through his business and Northwest Millworks, destroying buildings and consuming the lumber inside. Flames burned through the night and throughout the day as hot spots continued to flare up.
The incident had significant impacts on the neighborhood, including nearby Seattle Pacific University. Some people lost electricity as Seattle City Light Crews worked to repair power lines melted by the heat.
Other neighbors had water supply or pressure problems. The state Department of Ecology came in to try and manage the runoff from water and debris that flowed into the ship canal. The situation was bad, but Gascoigne said it could be so much worse.
“You have to keep the right perspective. This is lumber, lumber is replaceable, people aren't so you got to keep that in mind,” said Gascoigne.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was on site to help with the investigation though it could be tough to find a cause with the level of destruction.
Gascoigne employs about 24-25 workers and the company will now focus on starting over, although it will likely be at a new location.
“We've identified with this city selling lumber for almost a hundred years and we'd like to be around longer even though we've had a tragic event,” said Gascoigne.
