A King County Water Taxi crew near Pier 50 heard someone calling for help from the water Monday morning, setting off a rapid response from Seattle Fire Department rescue boats to the 200 block of Alaskan Way South. Firefighters asked people to avoid the area while crews worked the scene.
According to the Seattle Fire Dept., the water taxi crew heard the person in distress calling for help from the water near the 200 block of Alaskan Way South, and a rescue boat was on scene shortly after. The department posted the update just after 5:30 a.m. local time, confirming a rescue boat had arrived and was actively working the water rescue.
The location places the incident right at the doorstep of King County Metro’s central passenger ferry hub. Pier 50, in that same block of Alaskan Way South near Yesler Way, serves as the terminal for daily Water Taxi routes connecting downtown Seattle to West Seattle and Vashon Island, according to King County Metro. That puts Water Taxi crews in position as frequent first eyes and ears on the water whenever trouble breaks out along this stretch of the downtown waterfront.
Why Fire Crews Could Respond So Fast
Seattle Fire Station 5, located nearby at 925 Alaskan Way, functions as the department’s primary marine hub, housing Rescue Boat 5, Engine 5, and the fireboats Leschi and Fireboat 2, per Seattle.gov. That waterfront launch capability on Elliott Bay is a key reason crews can reach calls like this one so quickly…