Lake City Community Center sustains major damage from fire that started in nearby tree

Fire at Lake City Community Center
Photo by John Odegard

Seattle — Tuesday morning, April 18, 2023 at 2:49am, the Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Alarm Center received 911 calls reporting what appeared to be tree on fire that extended to the Lake City Community Center at the 12500 block of 28th Ave NE. 

Engine 39 arrived in less than three minutes from the initial 911 calls and confirmed an exterior fire at an entrance facing 27th Ave NE. Crews worked quickly to knock down the exterior portion of the fire, then confirmed flames extended inside the building.

Photo by John Odegard

Additional units arrived on scene to fight the fire, search for people inside the building and check for extension. Firefighters knocked down the interior fire, but realized flames extended into an inaccessible void space in between the ceiling and roof. Crews climbed onto the roof to cut holes in order to gain access to the fire then extinguish it.

The main seat of the fire was extinguished by 3:32am, and the fire within the void space was under control twenty minutes later. Primary and secondary searches of the building confirmed no one was inside. A few units remained on scene to monitor for flare ups.

No injuries were reported. Seattle Fire Department investigators ruled the fire as undetermined. Estimated loss is $150,000.

--Seattle Fire