A three-alarm fire early Thursday morning consumed a Buddhist temple and apartments in Seattle’s International District.
Two people were taken to Harborview: one person who complained of back pain and another who suffered smoke inhalation.
At least 30 people were evacuated from the building at 1007 S. Weller St., fire department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said. The call was dispatched at 12:08 a.m.
Flames began in the first floor of the building, which housed the temple. Then they spread to the apartments on the second and third stories and finally the attic.
“The bottom floor is a Buddhist temple and a meeting room and the top two floors are apartments units,” Fitzpatrick said. “We did rescue one person on the second floor.”
The woman rescued was not transported to a hospital, according to department officials. More than 120 firefighters responded to the scene.
Some of those evacuated had places to stay, but the Red Cross also was called to provide assistance. The Red Cross helped 17 people find a place to live.
The fire was caused by burning incense that came into contact with combustible materials in the temple, fire officials said. Damage was estimated at $400,000.
Records show the property is the Fa-Sheng Temple of the American Seattle Buddhist Association. The building was erected in 1901.
The Thursday morning blaze is the largest in Seattle since a June 12 fire killed five people, including four children. That blaze, in an apartment at 334 N.W. 41st St., was started when a light bulb was left too close to a foam mattress, investigators said.
Source: Seattle 911
