2-alarm apartment fire in Beacon Hill neighborhood injures a resident, firefighter and displaces other residents

by Grace Nunez on January 11, 2026

Seattle Fire Department fights apartment fire in Beacon Hill neighborhood

SEATTLE, Wash. –  At 11:58 a.m. on Jan. 11, 2026, the Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Alarm Center received a 911 call reporting a fire in an apartment building in the 1700 block of 13th Ave. (in the Capitol Hill neighborhood). At 12:01 p.m., crews arrived on scene and reported no fire or smoke visible. At 12:03 p.m., another 911 call came in reporting the fire in the 1700 block of 13th Ave. S, in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. Dispatch informed all responding crews of the corrected address. The first crew arrived on scene at 12:08 p.m. and reported a working fire with heavy smoke. At 12:10 p.m., the fire was upgraded to a 2-alarm response.

Seattle Fire Department fights apartment fire in Beacon Hill neighborhood.

Firefighters worked quickly to put water on the fire that extended to multiple floors and units.

Around 12:30 p.m., Seattle Fire issued an Alert Seattle message within a half-mile radius of the fire. The alert advised nearby residents to close their windows and doors to avoid the smoke.

By 12:46, the fire on both the second and third floors was under control. The fire was extinguished at 2:16 p.m.

Crews treated an 87-year-old female who was in stable condition. She was transported by paramedics to Harborview.

A 48-year-old female was evaluated on scene and did not require transportation to a hospital.

A firefighter was also injured while fighting the fire. He was taken to Harborview in stable condition.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

This incident highlights two common issues that can happen during a fire:

When crews arrived on scene, the front door of one of the units was open. Closing doors limits oxygen to a fire, thereby slowing its spread and potentially limiting damage. Please close the doors when evacuating a burning structure, if you can do so safely. Once you get to a safe place, call 911 to report the fire.

During this fire, the initial 911 calls reported incorrect/incomplete addresses. In order for firefighters to respond as quickly as possible, it is important to know the accurate location of the incident. Dispatchers will ask for the specific address and confirm the location before getting off the call. If you are unsure, look for the closest cross streets to help crews respond to the correct block address.

Updated Jan. 12: Investigators ruled the fire as accidental, likely caused by burning candles left unattended next to other combustible items.