Seattle council passes law allowing fire chief to demolish abandoned buildings

By David Kroman
Seattle weather

SEATTLE — On the same day a fire in a vacant building killed one person and injured three others, the Seattle City Council approved new rules to speed the condemnation of abandoned and dangerous structures.

The timing was an unfortunate coincidence; the council has been studying the new rules for more than a month.

But Councilman Bob Kettle said it underscores the need to empower Seattle firefighters to act unilaterally to secure and even destroy dangerous buildings.

“We need to pass this law to keep our firefighters, our neighbors safe and also as part of our attempt to address the permissive environment that underpins the public safety challenges we face here in the city” , Kettle said.

The new law, proposed by Mayor Bruce Harrell and unanimously passed by the council on Tuesday, gives new authority to the head of the SFD – currently Harold Scoggins – to declare a building a “public nuisance.” Instead of the lengthy process currently in place, in which city officials go through the Department of Building and Inspections, the chief could choose to fence, reinforce or demolish a building.

Harrell proposed the new law as the city sees increasing numbers of fires and deaths in vacant buildings. In 2023, emergency crews responded to 130 vacant building fires in Seattle, an increase from 91 the year before and 77 the year before that. Three people died last year.

Some fires didn't cause fatalities but sparked a huge response from the department and even closed entire thoroughfares, like when a building in Madison caught fire last year.

The city oversees about 300 vacant buildings. Of those, 42 were deemed unsafe, meaning crews were sent there multiple times or there was a history of fire or repeated dangerous activities.

The building in the Roosevelt neighborhood that caught fire on Tuesday also caught fire on May 8. Then, people were displaced from 26 units after a fire — which was contained to one apartment — damaged the building's water pipes. Investigators determined it was an accidental crash and likely caused by faulty electrical wiring or overheating battery chargers. No one was injured during this incident.

This time, firefighters raised ladders and rescued a person by carrying them through a fourth-story window. They also escorted two other people down a flight of stairs, and another fled on his own.

A woman died at the scene and a seriously injured man was transported to Harborview Medical Center. Another man and a woman were slightly injured, Seattle Fire Department spokesman David Cuerpo said. Firefighters are investigating the causes of the fire.

The department's preference is to work with property owners to secure a vacant building. But if that fails, the city could place a lien on the house and hold the owner financially responsible for any work to secure it or demolish it.

The bill was deemed emergency legislation, meaning it needs a supermajority of council votes to pass and takes effect immediately.

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