Brush Fire Destroys Vehicles and Utility Poles

No injuries, but Highway 99 closed during Tuesday evening rush hour

A brush fire Tuesday afternoon destroyed parked vehicles and utility poles on E. Marginal Way (Photo by SFD Fire Line)

A brush fire just off East Marginal Way in Georgetown jumped to nearby vehicles and utility poles causing damage and a traffic mess during the evening commute.

No one was injured. Seattle Fire is investigating the fire's cause, but a woman told KIRO 7 she saw someone a few cars ahead of her flick a cigarette onto dry grass near East Marginal Way and the First Avenue South Bridge.

The fire began around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday just north of Michigan Avenue. It quickly jumped to RVs and semi-trucks parked along the roadside igniting them. Then it jumped to wooden utility poles bringing down at least three. Live electric wires dangled overhead causing safety concerns for responding firefighters, according to a Seattle Fire blog post. A large plume of smoke from the burning vehicles could be seen in many parts of the neighborhood.

The fire was brought under control within an hour, according to a Seattle Fire. However, hours later, crews were still on scene spraying water on hot spots. Smoke impaired visibility for drivers nearby.

Seattle City Light shut off power in a half-mile radius around the area including the streetlights at the nearby Michigan Avenue intersection. It was not immediately known how long it would take to restore power or repair the utility poles.