House fire on Phinney Ridge

Updated: More than a dozen fire units responded to a fully-involved house fire at 5511 2nd Ave. NW on Phinney Ridge at 7:40 p.m. Friday evening.

As I drove to the scene from Ballard, I could see smoke billowing up from over a mile away. (Photo by My Ballard reader Nina.)

Flames were shooting out the back of the two-story home, which was hard to see from the street. Both floors were on fire.

Over a hundred neighbors around the home watched the firefighters at work. A next door neighbor quickly climbed onto his roof with a garden hose.

Medic units checked out one patient, presumably the homeowner, who has minor injuries. A little less than an hour after the call the fire was out. No word on the cause, and we’ll update as we learn more.

Update: The Seattle Fire Department says the cause appears to be accidental: “discarded smoking materials” that caught fire. The homeowner was in the backyard at the time of the fire, and there are no official injuries. No word on a damage estimate, although to my untrained eye the house is a total loss.

Earlier this month: House fire on 2nd Ave. NW and 52nd St.