Lake City fire destroys commercial property with seven small businesses

Photo courtesy Seattle Fire department

A commercial property with seven small businesses in Lake City was destroyed by fire on Monday night, December 28, 2020.

The building, in the 3000 block of NE 127th St, housed Aloha Ramen, Teriyaki Time, Gifted Cutz barber shop, Papa Murphy’s, Maytag laundromat, Swan Massage, and 99-cent smoke shop.

The two-alarm fire was intentionally set by burglars, who were observed running from the building seconds before the flames were visible.

Photo courtesy Seattle Fire department

According to the Seattle Police Blotter, just before 11:00pm, a caller reported that several individuals were breaking into a business in the one-story strip mall. 

While the caller was still on the phone with dispatch, he watched the individuals leave in a vehicle and said the business they had burglarized was now on fire.

Police and fire responded. Fire crews attacked the fire in a defensive position by pouring water onto the fire from the exterior because it was unsafe for firefighters to enter the building. Sections of the roof collapsed 30 minutes into the fire. 

Puget Sound Energy secured the natural gas lines from the building while Seattle City Light turned off the electricity.

Building with seven small businesses destroyed by arson fire
Photo courtesy Seattle Fire department

By 12:30am the fire was under control, but a crew remained on site overnight to check for hotspots. There were no injuries. One firefighter was evaluated at the scene but did not require additional medical treatment.

A total of 11 fire engines, 5 ladder trucks and additional support units consisting of 84 firefighters responded to this incident

Detectives from Seattle Police Department’s Arson and Bomb Squad investigated and ruled the fire as incendiary (intentionally set). Anyone with information is asked to call Seattle Police.

Estimated dollar loss is $2.7 million. Several of the businesses have set up GoFundMe pages.

Firefighters were able to keep the flames from nearby businesses, such as Ace Hardware Tweedy and Pop, and Grocery Outlet.

--Diane Hettrick