Four Firefighters Die in Seattle Warehouse Fire, Seattle, Washington: Fid-Bau Portal

Four Firefighters Die in Seattle Warehouse Fire, Seattle, Washington

Four firefighters died when a floor collapsed without warning during a commercial building fire in downtown Seattle on January 5,1995. The cause of the fire was determined to be arson, and a suspect was apprehended and charged with four counts of homicide. The circumstances of this incident are similar to a number of other multiple fatality incidents that have claimed the lives of more than 20 firefighters in recent memory across the nation. The similarities include fires in buildings that have access at different levels from different sides, resulting in confusion over the levels where companies are operating. There have also been a number of situations where firefighters have been operating on a floor level that appeared to be safe, not knowing that they were directly above a serious basement or lower level fire. These incidents resulted in sudden and unanticipated floor collapses, which either dropped the firefighters into the fire area or exposed them to an eruption of fire from the level below them. The structure involved in this incident was primarily constructed of heavy timber members. However, a modification to the structure had resulted in the main floor being supported by an unprotected wood frame pony wall along one side. The sudden failure of this support caused the main floor to collapse without warning. Firefighters working on this floor believed that they had already gained control of the situation and were not aware that the main body of fire was directly below them or that it was exposing a vulnerable element of the structural support system. This situation illustrates that multiple firefighter fatalities can occur at an incident where fire suppression operations are well organized, well managed, and well executed with a strong emphasis on operational safety. One of the important lessons that comes from this event should be valuable to both new and experienced fire officers; it shows how critical information can be missed during a complicated incident command operation, particularly when command officers are distracted by trying to perform too many functions without support staff.