Everett Fire Captain Rich Langford stretches out an attack line as his crew prepares to fight the four-alarm fire on the city’s waterfront on Thursday, July 16. Evidence of how hot the fire got can be seen by the melted traffic delineators (tall cones in front of the fire truck) which were nearly 20 yards from the burning building.
Doug Ramsay
EVERETT — A 4-alarm fire Thursday, July 16 destroyed the north building of the Waterfront Place Apartments, a 266-unit complex currently under construction in the 1300 and 1400 blocks of W. Marine View Drive due to open in coming months.
Fire and embers were blown in an easterly direction across W. Marine View Drive, which started trees and brush on fire along the bluff above W. Marine View Drive. Embers started a roof and attic fire to a home in the 1600 block of Rucker Avenue. Flying embers also caused smaller spot fires around 16th and Grand Avenue and 16th and Rucker Avenue. Firefighters worked hard to get the house fire and the spot fires under control and prevent them from spreading to other homes.
Everett Fire says “an early conservative estimate of damages for just the site of the primary fire is between $25 to $30 million. This estimate does not include damage to the north structure that is still standing at the site or any other structure or property damage across W. Marine View Drive or the residential area on Grand Avenue and Rucker Avenue.”
The new apartments are sited near the Hotel Indigo on the Port of Everett’s waterfront. The southern building was destroyed. The northern building had windows blown out.
Everett Fire Investigators, Everett Police Detectives, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating.
Detectives are looking for information that may help them determine the cause and nature of the fire, and are asking for the community’s help by sharing their photos, videos, and audio with detectives. People can upload any of their media to https://everettpd-wa.evidence.com/axon/citizen/public/2020-66971
“This is quite a sad day for the Port’s Waterfront Place mixed-use development, particularly for the multi-family private housing developer team SeaLevel Properties & Gracorp, who were nearing the one-year mark on construction of their 266 waterfront apartment homes project. This project is bringing housing to the waterfront for the first time in Everett’s history,” Port CEO Lisa Lefeber said in a statement sent to media. “While this presents a setback to the project, the Port is resilient, and our project partners are committed to rebuild. We will continue working with private development partners to keep up momentum of the entire project, and the Port intends to move forward with the build out of restaurants and retail pads in the 2021 timeframe as planned.”
A ladder truck and a fire department aid car received damage due to the intense heat of the fire.
