A small apartment lowrise at Bellevue and Harrison destined for redevelopment as a six story, 20-unit residential building burned overnight on the western slope of Capitol Hill.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene around 4:21 AM to reports of smoke and flames coming from the two-story building. The fire was reported knocked down and under control just before 5 AM. There were no reported injuries.

SFD has not yet said if a cause for the blaze has been determined. The building was reported as having no tenants but empty buildings in the area are frequently used as squat and camp sites.

UPDATE: A nearby resident tells CHS that squatters were recently removed from the building and a power cable was found running from the building to an adjacent encampment.

UPDATE x2: SFD reports the cause as “undetermined” —

 Fire investigators have rule this fire as “undetermined”. The building was scheduled for demolition, so the estimated dollar loss is zero. Per policy for undetermined fires, information on this incident has also been referred to the Seattle Police Department.

300 Blk. of Bellevue Ave.E.: crews have water on the fire. Working to get it under control, no reported injuries. pic.twitter.com/STLatGUfxL

— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) April 3, 2021

The 1950s-era lowrise apartment building will be demolished and replaced by a six-story, 20-unit development from West Freeman Properties and Capitol Hill architecture firm Board and Vellum. A master use permit for the project that has been under planning since 2018 was issued on March 2nd.

It was a busy night for Seattle Fire. Crews also battled a massive fire near 23rd Ave and Plum south of I-90 that destroyed an under-construction multi-family development project.

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