The Renton Regional Fire Authority and King County first responders fought flames on Oct. 7 that were burning in a garage containing millions of dollars worth of vintage vehicles and bicycles.
Two firefighters in the incident required transportation to a local hospital for evaluation, according to the fire authority.
The fire authority was dispatched at approximately 3:30 p.m. to a vehicle fire inside a garage at 301 Airport Way, according to an email from Sara Morris, public information officer.
Prior to the arrival of crews on the scene, dispatchers upgraded the call to a commercial fire response.
At the scene, crews arrived to find flames burning out of a rolled-up garage entrance of a “large” one-story auto facility, according to Morris.
Firefighters discovered heavy smoke and fire at the end portion of the building.
(Courtesy of the Zone 3 PIOs.)
As the firefighters attacked the flames, the department upgraded the incident to a second alarm fire response, with the Renton Police Department, crews from Puget Sound Fire and Skyway Fire, and King County Medic One on scene to assist.
With heavy fire present in the main unit of the building, an old masonry structure, crews were concerned about the integrity of the building. Crews fought the fire defensively with powerful quantities of water from all angles of the roof, including aerial, with knowledge that everyone safely evacuated the building prior, according to Morris.
Crews activated a third alarm as the fire continued.
As crews continued to battle the blaze, command received notification of two firefighters who needed medical evaluation. King County Medic One transported the two firefighters to a local hospital for evaluation.
According to Morris, the two firefighters potentially suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration, and have since been released from the hospital.
Crews faced the challenge of a number of combustibles within the garage, including high end classic vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Morris.
(Courtesy of the Zone 3 PIOs.)
Firefighter crews managed to salvage and save over $2 million in vintage vehicles and bicycles from the building from fire damage, according to the Zone 3 public information officers.
Fire crews extinguished the fire at approximately 8:29 p.m., according to Morris. Crews remained on the scene overnight to prevent flareups and monitor for hot spots.
An investigation of the scene determined the fire to have started as a result of accidental ignition from working on vehicles.
“At this time, I don’t know how much damage is sustained to the building,” Morris said in her Oct. 10 email.
According to the Renton Police Department’s social media, Renton police assisted with managing traffic in the area of the commercial building fire. The fire resulted in detours and delays in the surrounding area of Airport Way and Logan Avenue South.
(Courtesy of the Zone 3 PIOs.)
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(Courtesy of the Zone 3 PIOs.)
