(Image: Seattle Fire)
The boarded-up Eastlake Bar and Grill burned 4th of July night in a two-alarm fire that mostly destroyed the restaurant that has stood empty awaiting demolition to make way for new mixed-use development.
Seattle Fire says the blaze was first called in to 911 just before 1 AM Friday morning with smoke and flames reported coming from the vacant commercial building in the 2900 block of Eastlake Ave. E.
“The first firefighters on scene reported flames through the roof of the building and upgraded the response to a 2-alarm fire where more than 70 personnel were dispatched to the scene,” Seattle Fire reports. “Flames through the roof and heavy smoke pouring out of the vacant building created unsafe conditions for crews to enter. They immediately went into a defensive position by pouring water onto the fire at a safe distance away from the structure.”
SFD says firefighters were able to knock down the majority of the fire and continue to work through the morning to fully extinguish it but not before the roof collapsed sending more smoke pouring into the neighborhood.
No injuries were reported. SFD says the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Smoke from the significant blaze contributed to high Air Quality Index levels in the area as the region’s unhealthy air totals showed their usual post-fireworks spikes up and down the Puget Sound.
The closed Eastlake restaurant has been the subject of complaints about violations of the city’s vacant building ordinance as it has awaited demolition. The property is now owned by developer Daly Partners with plans for an eight-story mixed-use building with around 130 apartment units over a commercial restaurant space and underground parking.
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