A routine late-afternoon on the Ballard waterfront turned grim on Wednesday when Seattle Fire crews pulled a man’s body from Salmon Bay, not far from the neighborhood’s busy marinas and industrial shoreline.
Responders brought the man to shore, but he was pronounced dead a short time later. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office will confirm his identity and determine how he died.
Crews Race To Shilshole-Area Call
Seattle Fire said it received a report of a person in the water around 4:33 p.m. near Shilshole Avenue NW. Before crews even arrived, police radio traffic was already describing a body floating in Salmon Bay.
Rescue workers recovered the man from the water, but he did not survive, according to KIRO 7 News. Seattle Police have since taken over the case and are treating it as a death investigation.
Waterfront Has Seen Tragedy Before
For neighbors, the scene was sadly familiar. The working waterfront around Salmon Bay and the Ballard Locks has been the backdrop to several deadly incidents in recent years…