Five people were taken to the hospital after a fire at the Boylston Hotel, Seattle fire officials said. Four people were being treated for smoke inhalation; one was hurt after jumping from a window.
Five people were taken to the hospital with injuries suffered in a Monday afternoon fire in a residential building on Seattle’s Capitol Hill.
Of the five injured in the fire at 1517 Boylston Ave., four suffered smoke inhalation and a woman was hurt after jumping out a third-floor window onto the roof of a building next door, said Lt. Harold Webb, of the Seattle Fire Department. All were taken to Harborview Medical Center.
Firefighters were called to the building about 5:40 p.m. The fire took about 20 minutes to extinguish, and flames were confined to a first-floor unit, Webb said.
Mike Glave, 55, said the fire started in his unit.
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He said he was awakened by a loud pop about 3:30 p.m., but he didn’t see anything and went to the store about 4:30. At 5:30 p.m., Glave said he came home, and, from the hallway, heard his smoke alarm. He opened the door to a cloud of black smoke. He pulled a fire alarm to alert others.
“I just ran banging on everyone’s doors.” he said. “ I don’t know how no one else heard the smoke alarm.”
Residents pay by the week at the Boylston Hotel. Glave, who moved there in February, said he pays $195 a week.
Webb said 45 people live in the building. The Red Cross will help residents find places to stay.
Building manager Nancy Watson said the building, which is more than 100 years old, has 39 units. She lives on the third floor and said she couldn’t believe how quickly smoke traveled up the stairs.
The fire’s cause was not known Monday night.