Seattle Police Department (SPD) responded to a home in the 1000 block of N 48th St. and Whitman Ave after receiving reports of a shooting from a call from an 11-year-old at 8:41 a.m. Fire crews were dispatched at 8:45 a.m. to the same address for a house fire. Police said one deceased adult was found in the front and another in the back. A deceased infant and child were also found, along with a dog. Police said officers arrived on the scene within five minutes but were unable to enter the home and reported that it was engulfed in flames.
The 11-year-old girl who called 911 has minor injuries and is in the care of emergency personnel until she can be reunited with family, police said. She may have exited the house through a window. In the United States alone, it’s estimated that over 2,500 people lose their lives in residential fires each year, and tens of thousands are injured.
“We do know that the front door was barricaded with some sort of object that officers were trying to kick down to try and open up the front door,” said Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz. Child fatalities in house fires are a distressing global concern. According to statistics, in the United States alone, an average of 300 children under the age of 14 lose their lives each year in residential fires, and thousands more are injured. These statistics are not unique to the U.S., as similar heartbreaking numbers can be found in
According to SPD Chief Diaz, officers were responding to a homicide call. When officers arrived, the home was found engulfed in flames. Intentional fires set with malicious intent are a less common but significant cause of house fires. Officials said that firefighters on scene reported flames visible from the front door. Seattle police officials said when they tried to initially enter the home, the doorways were barricaded.
According to SFD, one person was found dead at the front of the house and another was found dead at the back of the house. An infant, child, and dog were also found dead. Officials are still working to find out if the fire was the cause of death. House fires can be particularly perilous for dogs, as they are often unable to escape or communicate their distress effectively. “It’s traumatizing for anybody to potentially call 911 and say that, you know, they’re there, potentially, somebody’s deceased inside the house. So whatever that child is, there’s going to be also making sure that they have the resources and services just to talk to people,” said Diaz.
