4 businesses lost in Greenwood fire

Four Seattle businesses lie in ruins and others nearby sustained water damage after a morning fire ripped into the heart of the Greenwood neighborhood on Friday.

Destroyed are Green Bean Coffee House, Szechuan Bistro, C.C. Teriyaki and Pho Tic Tac. All are near the northwest corner of North 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue North. The Taproot Theatre and a business complex with second-floor apartments nearby were damaged by water and smoke.

The colorful, nonprofit Green Bean Coffee House is owned by the Sanctuary Church, which has held its services at the Taproot.

Firefighters were still mopping up at midday Friday, but the church had already launched two fundraising efforts on its Web site, one to benefit all the businesses destroyed by the fire, and another for the beloved espresso shop, which served up camaraderie and caring along with its coffee.

The Rev. Randy Rowland of the Sanctuary Church was taking the day's events in stride.

"A church is about people," not "about buildings," he said. For now, his church will hold its 10 a.m. Sunday services at The Upper Crust, a catering company kitty-cornered across the intersection.

"We are here to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. None of that will change. We will carry on beginning today," Rowland said.

Passer-by called 911

The fire was reported by a passer-by who saw smoke in the area of North 85th Street just west of Greenwood Avenue North at about 4 a.m. and called 911. The restaurants and the Green Bean were quickly engulfed in flames and the Taproot Theatre was heavily damaged by water and smoke, fire officials said.

By the time the first firefighters arrived, flames were shooting from the building, and smoke was billowing from the roof.

Firefighters worked to protect the theater and business-apartment complex, Fire Department spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen said.

The apartment residents were evacuated but allowed back into their apartments later Friday morning.

There were no injuries except for one firefighter who suffered a minor ankle injury.

Seattle firefighters put out hot spots through the day Friday. Vander Houwen said the cause of the fire won't be known for a while.

"Due to the instability of the structure, the investigation is expected to take several days," she said. Likewise, the damage total was yet to be determined.

Lots of camaraderie

Friday morning, Bob Smith stood in the parking lot near the smoldering buildings, wondering where he'd go now that the Green Bean is gone.

Smith found a kind of homey warmth there. Sometimes he'd spend entire days at the Green Bean, where patrons were welcome to linger and even fall asleep in the easy chairs.

It was a place for open-mic nights and lots of community meetings, everything from unemployed professionals to Greenwood business groups.

Smith came across the Green Bean assistant manager, a tearful Abigail Grove. He gave her a hug.

"It's just the atmosphere there — it's love," she said. "It's a warm and inviting place. People would come there, and things would have happened to them, and just being there helped. It happened to me that way."

Taproot's CEO Scott Nolte said he was called at home after the theater's burglar alarm went off. He came to the theater and saw "firemen with axes go into the theater and water cascading out."

Firefighters punched holes in the ceilings and walls to keep the fire from spreading, he said. But water cascaded into the theater from the ceiling.

He said the public areas of the theater were heavily damaged, and a wall between the theater and Pho Tic Tac was knocked down.

Luckily, most of the costumes and props were off the floor, Nolte said, so the damage to them was minimal.

Firefighters put tarps across desks, computers and some equipment to try to keep water damage to a minimum, he said.

Just when Nolte was wondering whether he'd have to refund 700 tickets, another theater group came to the rescue.

Taproot will be able to move its final two performances of "Enchanted April" to the Seattle Children's Theatre for 2 and 8 p.m. performances today. He said he still has tickets available at $20 each.

Where the community is concerned, he said, "we all lock arms tightly in times like this."

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com