1 dies in fire at Green Lake home for disabled, seniors

One person was killed Monday afternoon in a fire that broke out in a building for low-income disabled people and seniors, according to Seattle Fire Department officials.

Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick did not release the name of the victim but said there were no other victims in the fire at the Green Lake Plaza at 505 N.E. 70th St., east of Green Lake. The fire apparently broke out just before 1:30 p.m. in a seventh-floor unit of an 11-floor building owned by the Seattle Housing Authority. The windows were blown out of the unit, and smoke and flames could be seen pouring out as firefighters arrived.

Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire, which firefighters put out in about 30 minutes. The victim lived in the unit where the fire apparently started, Fitzpatrick said.

Several residents of the 129-unit building said the victim was believed to be a man in his 70s.

Kathryn Hyde, a volunteer home-care worker, said she had come to Green Lake Plaza to visit that man. She went to his unit and saw flames and smoke.

"It happened so fast," Hyde said.

The fire extended up the exterior of the building from the seventh-floor unit all the way to the 11th floor. The Fire Department did not immediately know the extent of the damage on those floors or how many units were damaged.

Fourteen people were evacuated following the fire because of smoke damage, according to the Fire Department, which estimated the damage at $300,000. The Red Cross is expected to assist them in finding temporary housing if needed, according to Seattle Housing Authority.

Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com