White Center Now: The blog about White Center

The White Center Market at 98th and 16th SW is closed right now because of damage from a fire earlier this week, reports WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz (who also took the photo above). She talked with a fire-department battalion chief, who says it happened around 4 am Wednesday, when a King County Sheriff’s Deputy spotted flames on the alley-side exterior of the store. Multiple fire crews responded and kept the flames from spreading into the store’s wood ceiling and paneled exterior. The battalion chief tells WCN that the investigation so far suggests an electrical malfunction might have been to blame; WCN is told the store owner’s family does have insurance.

We went over to Uncle Mike’s Superlicious BBQ in White Center after finding out via the restaurant’s Facebook page that they are closed temporarily because of a small fire. Co-owner “Uncle Mike” Gordon explained a grease fire broke out in their smoker; he had it mostly put out even before the North Highline Fire Department crew arrived – but since it’s the weekend, they won’t really know before Monday what they need to do for repairs and replacement, so they don’t know how long they’ll be closed. Mike and his spouse/business partner Elizabeth Gordon want you to know nobody was hurt – they’re OK, and their dining room is undamaged:

The restaurant at 9640 16th SW has drawn rave reviews – not just for its barbecue, but for other menu items like fried chicken and vegetarian options – since its opening almost a year ago.

You may have seen the smoke from Sunday afternoon’s huge apartment fire in the unincorporated area east of White Center, in a Union Gospel Mission-owned building in the 9800 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive. Dozens of people are without homes as a result; efforts are under way to help them, from a collection being taken up at the South Park-area Red Apple Market, to a Red Cross shelter set up in a West Seattle church so residents have someplace to sleep and to get meals. Citywide media reports say the fire’s cause is still being investigated.

Thanks to Madge Bloom for e-mailing to share that photo of a fire she spotted, and reported, late last night in the open space by the White Center Dairy Queen. She says North Highline Fire District firefighters got there fast and made quick work of it; she has more photos on her website, The View From Right Here.

Right now (5:31 pm), there’s no bowling at Roxbury Lanes, but the restaurant’s open, as crews clean up after what we’re told was a small fire. We’re still working to gather the details; Seattle crews were there for a while to help North Highline.

5:41 PM UPDATE: It was a small fire in the laundry room – some rags caught fire. The bowling alley WILL be open for business, firefighters tell us, as long as they keep fire watch tonight.

7:15 PM: A house fire in the 9400 block of 8th SW in Highland Park has closed 8th SW immediately north of Roxbury, to Cambridge, so if you are headed into West Seattle, you’ll want to find an alternate route. (Nobody’s hurt; here’s our coverage on West Seattle Blog.)

An update this morning from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart, with the cause of the weekend fire and the scope of what KCSO calls a grow operation:

An early morning fire in a single family residence did more than burn up the house. It sent a good-size, illegal marijuana grow operation up in smoke as well.

The fire was reported about 1:00 AM on Sunday morning, January 23rd, in the 10400 block of 10th Ave SW (White Center neighborhood of unincorporated King County).

Responding firefighters called the Sheriff’s Office after they found the marijuana grow operation in the basement of the residence as they were knocking down the fire. There were about 55 medium size plants, lights, timers, ventilation equipment, and other growing supplies in the house.

No one was home at the time of the fire and there were no arrests.

A fire investigator from the Sheriff’s Office believes an electrical malfunction was the likely cause of the fire.

4:15 PM: According to KING5.com, a fire on 10th Avenue SW early this morning has sparked a King County Sheriff’s Office investigation – because of an alleged marijuana-growing operation. Here’s their story. We’ve got messages out to find out more.

6:07 PM UPDATE: A little more information from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart – The fire was in the 10400 block of 10th Ave SW. A county fire investigator has been to the scene but the investigator’s report isn’t filed yet, so details will have to wait until at least tomorrow, including the size of the “grow op” he says they found. The house was fully involved when fire crews arrived, according to Sgt. Urquhart, who says fire crews called for KCSO around 1:12 am.

Thanks to Gill for the photos and details on this van fire around 1 pm on the west side of 17th SW, south of 104th. He saw the smoke from a few blocks away and reports that King County Sheriff’s Deputies were on scene along with firefighters when he arrived. A gas can was found near the van but it’s not known whether it was involved with the fire or not; we’ll be checking with investigators.

UPDATE: KCSO’s Sgt. John Urquhart says it’s not a police investigation – just a fire incident.

Just got word of this. It’s open to the public. 10 am tomorrow (Thursday) morning, the North Highline Board of Fire Commissioners meets, with two items on the agenda: “New-hire firefighter,” and “chief administrative position.” The meeting’s at NHFD headquarters, 1243 SW 112th.

On the West Seattle/White Center border, the Seattle Fire Department‘s Joint Training Facility will host the “Fire Muster” for cadets and explorers this Saturday, 9 am-4 pm. According to this post on the city’s Fire Lines site, you’re invited to watch.

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli; added 11:07 am)
Just got a news release from the Seattle branch of the Red Cross saying it’s helping seven people whose home was gutted by fire this morning at 10044 20th Ave SW (map). We’re checking to see what more we can find out about this fire. 10 AM UPDATE: Photojournalist Christopher Boffoli is at the scene now for White Center Now and West Seattle Blog and tells us investigators are still there. They tell him it started just before 5 am. Everyone got out OK, no injuries. Christopher adds, “Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire but as of right now it appears the origin was the kitchen.”

Thanks to Wayne Del for sending word of a fire tonight in the 11000 block of Occidental (map), as well as photos of the smoke. He says it was in a “backyard – looks like it could have been a shed where gasoline was stored. Very combustible. Fire trucks on the scene, everyone appears to be safe. Helicopters, fire trucks, local citizens helping with garden hoses. Thank goodness for the community.” 8:45 PM UPDATE: We’re at the fire scene now – Occidental, a narrow residential street, is still blocked off with yellow tape, and fire crews are still here. This is in the Top Hat neighborhood. The incident commander tells us that the fire burned sheds and a carport, but the house itself wasn’t damaged. Nobody was hurt. Investigators are still on the scene, two hours after the fire was first reported, but they don’t know yet how it started. We’ll add our photos in a bit. ADDED: This is as close as we could get:

In case you saw the huge column of smoke to the west right around noontime – it was a fire that destroyed a home and two cars and badly burned a 34-year-old man in the Arbor Heights area of West Seattle (around 35th/108th). Here’s detailed coverage with photos at partner site West Seattle Blog.

Delridge is blocked from Thistle to Holden because of a fire in the 8100 block.

Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen has just told White Center Now that “improperly discarded smoking materials” were the cause of last night’s fire — ruled an accident — that damaged what Ricardo reports is a Muslim prayer hall (or “masjid” – see photo at bottom of this post) in the building on the alley immediately north of his building (home to Cafe Rozella and the Platinum salon). The fire started on/in a “vinyl couch,” she says – you’ll note the photos we took outside the building this morning include a badly burned couch.

Damage from the fire is estimated by SFD at $25,000.