Ship Canal fire still smoldering as firefighters continue to douse flames

The devastating fire in the Queen Anne Ship Canal is still smoldering, with several fire engines on site at 11am Sunday morning and power still out for several buildings in the area.

The 4-alarm fire, which started around 8:30pm, destroyed five buildings including Gascoigne Lumber and Northwest Millwork. Firefighters say they encountered flames up to 100-feet high when they arrived. According to firefighters, 10 of the city’s 11 ladder trucks were battling the blaze last night, the cause of which is still unknown. Crews managed to get the fire under control by about 11pm last night, but one firefighter on the scene told My Ballard that they’ll likely be monitoring it for two days.

Weston Davis, owner Rob Gascoigne’s nephew, was at the scene Sunday morning, watching crews continue to pour water on the smoldering remnants of the lumber yard. Davis told My Ballard that no one was at the yard when the fire broke out.

Surprisingly, Gascoigne’s adjoining office remained mostly intact — Davis was telling firefighters about what items he’d like retrieved from the office.

“I’ve been working here since 1997,” Davis said. “I guess you could say lumber is in my blood.”

Gascoigne, which has operated in the same location since 1919, had plans to move in the next five years because their property was recently purchased. However, they had just been negotiating with the property owners to sign a new lease that would go until 2023. Now, they’ll be forced to find a new location as soon as possible, Davis said.

Earlier: Enormous fire burns 5 buildings along the Ship Canal in Queen Anne