Family of 4 escapes apartment fire in Seattle's Central District

Family escapes apartment fire in Seattle's Central District

A family managed to escape a house fire in Seattle’s Central District Thursday evening.

SEATTLE - A family managed to escape an apartment fire in Seattle’s Central District on Thursday evening.

According to the Seattle Fire Department (SFD), firefighters responded after seeing black smoke coming from a nearby apartment building near the corner of S Jackson St. and 26th Ave. St. This building is right across the street from the fire station.

photo of two seattle fire department firetrucks responding to an apartment fire in Seattle's Central District. A hose is seen laying on the street still spraying water.

The Seattle Fire Department responded to a fire at an apartment right across the street from the fire station in the Central District. (Photo: Seattle Fire Department)

A full response of five fire engines, three with ladders, was called in at around 5:42 p.m.

As firefighters made their way to the building, crews witnessed three children and their mother escape the fire.

They took shelter inside Seattle Fire Station 6. All four family members were in stable condition and did not need to be taken to the hospital.

At 5:46 p.m., crews started putting water on the fire and searching for more occupants. The building was all clear, and crews extinguished the fire by 6:06 p.m.

Two firefighters were injured in the fire and taken to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition.

After investigating, it was determined that the fire was accidental, and likely caused by an overloaded electrical outlet.

The American Red Cross will be helping assist the displaced family.

The SFD is offering safety tips to make sure that a fire like this does not happen in your home:

Avoid plugging multiple appliances and electronic devices into a single wall outlet
Power strips add more outlets, but should only be used for items that require light loads, such as computers, printers and clocks
Power strips are not made to handle microwaves, refrigerators, portable heaters or hair dryers