SEATTLE — One person was found dead after an early-morning blaze at a vacant building in Seattle's University District on Monday.
Just after 4 a.m. Monday, Seattle Fire crews responded to a building in flames at the 5500 block of University Way NE.
The first firefighters on scene confirmed heavy smoke and flames coming out of the roof. When they opened the main entrance, they immediately encountered flames, forcing them to spray water on the flames from a distance.
Firefighters received reports from bystanders of a missing person last seen on the roof. They searched the roof and perimeter of the building, but were not able to find the person. They could not enter the building because the roof began to collapse.
The fire was under control by 5:15 a.m.
Firefighters later worked with an excavator to search the building and recovered a body matching the description of the missing person.
The fire is under investigation.