More than 120 emergency personnel battled a brush fire Sunday afternoon that damaged four homes and injured three people in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, requiring a three-alarm response at its peak.
Seattle Fire Department crews responded to reports of heavy smoke in the 2500 block of South Myrtle Street just before 4 p.m. The blaze spread rapidly across the hillside adjacent to Interstate 5, threatening residential properties and reaching the Van Asselt Athletic Complex.
Two homes sustained interior fire damage while two others experienced exterior damage from the flames that swept up from the interstate hillside. Fire officials treated two residents at the scene before transporting them to hospitals in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. A firefighter also received treatment for minor injuries but returned to active duty.
David Widham, one affected resident, described the rapid evacuation after his wife spotted the approaching fire. “Everything inside the house is fine. Smoky, gross. [The] shed next to it with some of our empty boxes and tools is destroyed, part of my car is melted,” Widham explained after returning home nearly two hours later.
Another resident reported seeing flames through his bathroom window while showering, prompted to evacuate by neighbors banging on his door. The fire approached properties “like a wall” from the hillside, creating immediate danger for residents in its path.
Cell phone video shared with media outlets showed residents using garden hoses to combat burning grass patches in their yards while heavy smoke blanketed the neighborhood. The flames jumped across South Myrtle Street, though not all properties in the fire’s path sustained damage.
Washington State Department of Transportation traffic cameras captured the fire’s progression along the grassy hillside near Boeing Field, showing emergency crews directing water streams from trucks onto the flames and smoke.
The blaze damaged portions of the Van Asselt Athletic Complex’s turf field, with viewer-provided video showing intense flames burning along the facility’s fencing. The fire’s proximity to recreational facilities added to community concerns about the rapid spread.
Seattle Fire Department reduced the emergency response to minimal units by 5:45 p.m., though firefighters maintained presence until 10 p.m. monitoring for potential flare-ups near residential structures.
The incident highlights wildfire risks in Seattle’s hillside neighborhoods, where dry vegetation and steep terrain can enable rapid fire spread during warm weather conditions. Emergency officials have not disclosed the fire’s cause as investigations continue.
Beacon Hill’s elevation and proximity to major transportation corridors create unique firefighting challenges, requiring coordination between multiple agencies and specialized equipment for hillside access.
