BELLEVUE, Wash. — A massive fire at a Bellevue apartment complex on Tuesday has left several families without a place to live.
The fire happened at an apartment complex shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, near the 15200 block of NE 16th Place. The fire destroyed 21 units and left 30 more without power.
“We got multiple calls at about 2:55 yesterday, reporting flames crawling up the building and shooting out of the apartment roof,” said Heather Wong, a public information officer for the Bellevue Fire Department.
Wong said the fire started in a ground floor corner unit. Nobody was in the unit at the time of the fire and investigators are still trying to figure out a cause. Investigators were allowed to enter the building Wednesday morning to start their investigation, as they had to wait for the structure to be deemed safe enough to enter.
Wong added that the building did not have any sprinklers due to sprinklers not being required at the time the complex was built.
An evacuation center was set up by the American Red Cross just down the street at Overlake Park Presbyterian Church within hours of the fire starting. Red Cross employees said that 14 people stayed at the shelter on Tuesday night, including several children with their parents. The Red Cross said more people had already signed up to stay there Wednesday night, after some people resorted to staying in their cars Tuesday following the fire.
“So, we have a place for them to sleep and try to care for whatever medical needs and personal needs they have,” said Norm Bottenberg, a volunteer with the American Red Cross.
Bottenberg is one of several volunteers and workers with the Red Cross operating the evacuation center at the church. He said the shelter could be open for a week, maybe longer or shorter, as it all depends on the need.
Red Cross workers said they are there to provide more than just shelter and help families get connected with the right resources to move forward. They encourage anyone impacted by the fire to stop by the center, even if they don’t need a place to stay, as they have other resources available for a variety of needs.
“We have disaster health services, we can help people get lost medications that were lost in the fire,” said Abby Walker, the communications manager for the American Red Cross Northwest Region. “We can help replace things like that. So, there are a ton of other resources, so we really encourage people to reach out."
The Bellevue Fire Department said they plan for the Bellevue Firefighters Community Support Foundation to gather school supplies for the children who lost their belongings in the fire.