Seattle firefighters battled a 3-alarm fire at a commercial warehouse in the city’s Industrial District early Wednesday, nearly a day after crews responded to a separate blaze in the nearby Central District.
The fire was reported just before 1 a.m. on the 4500 block of 7th Avenue S, where two tractor trailers were burning before flames spread to the warehouse, Seattle Fire spokesperson David Cuerpo said during a news conference near the scene.
Fire officials discovered several large metal and plastic barrels inside one of the trailers and around the building, leading crews to attack the flames from a safe distance. Cuerpo later said inspectors determined the barrels in and around the site were empty.
The Seattle Fire Department received multiple 911 calls early Wednesday, July 15, 2026, reporting a warehouse fire. (Seattle Fire Department)
Around 1:15 a.m., firefighters reported a partial collapse of the warehouse roof, making it too dangerous for crews to enter what remained of the structure. The fire was brought under control at about 3:22 a.m., and no injuries were reported. Cuerpo said in a statement to INC News that the cause remains under investigation.
After part of the warehouse roof collapsed, crews continued fighting the fire from the exterior. (Seattle Fire Department)
The Industrial District response followed another commercial building fire Tuesday morning roughly 20 minutes away, on the 2700 block of E Madison St. in the Central District. That blaze began at approximately 3:22 a.m., and firefighters had it extinguished by about 5:30 a.m.
Seattle fire crews responded to the 3-alarm warehouse fire early on July 15, 2026. (Seattle Fire Department)
No injuries were reported, and Cuerpo confirmed that the cause of the fire was accidental in the same press conference on Wednesday morning.
