An early-morning fire tore through the top floor of a three-story commercial building at East Madison Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way East in Seattle’s Central District, gutting third-floor office suites and drenching the lower levels with water as firefighters worked to knock down the flames. The building was empty when the blaze broke out, and officials said no injuries were reported as crews spent the pre-dawn hours getting the situation under control and securing the property.
According to FOX 13 Seattle, Seattle Fire Department crews reached the scene at about 3:30 a.m. and had the fire largely under control by around 5 a.m. Investigators believe the blaze started on the third floor. FOX 13 reported that officials were still working to determine whether the first floor was safe to reenter and noted that the commercial building was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Damage and road closures
As reported by KIRO 7, the blaze caused heavy damage to the third-floor office suites and left the lower floors with water, smoke and insulation damage. KIRO 7 noted that ground-floor tenants on the block include a bakery, a nail salon and a pet-care shop. The Seattle Department of Transportation temporarily shut down East Madison Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way East and 27th Avenue East while firefighters worked the scene, with officials expecting to reopen the stretch by about 7 a.m.
Investigation underway
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and the Seattle Fire Department has opened an investigation, according to FOX 13 Seattle. The outlet also reported that crews were clearing insulation and other flammable materials from the room where the fire began to make sure no hot spots remained. Building owners and tenants will need formal damage assessments before any reopening plans can move forward.
