Firefighters were called to a University of Washington fraternity house early Saturday morning after reports of a fire, which required the response of 80 firefighters and escalated to a two-alarm situation. The Seattle Fire Department confirmed that upon their arrival, occupants had extinguished a small blaze on the house’s deck, but flames had found their way into the attic requiring a more substantial effort to combat, as documented by KIRO 7.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, but reports have surfaced indicating a possible link to the July 4th celebrations that had just taken place. According to The Seattle Times, at least two eyewitnesses claimed to have seen fireworks being thrown into backyards on Greek Row. This is yet to be confirmed as the direct cause, but the timing has led to inevitable speculation.
All residents of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity house were safely evacuated, with the University’s crisis communication system, UW Alert, providing an update at 5:07 a.m. confirming that firefighters had accounted for all individuals. Although direct linkage has not been established, a neighbor described the post-celebratory environment as akin to a “war zone,” providing images to KOMO News showing multiple firework remnants around the house and street. This came in the wake of residents struggling to comfortably sleep through the night as fireworks apparently continued to detonate well into the early hours…