Seattle, WA
Officials concerned by surge in abandoned building fires in Seattle
Seattle Fire Dept. concerned by surge in vacant building fires
Alarmed by the growing number of fires at abandoned properties, Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins is supporting a new strong-armed solution that cracks down on private property owners in favor of public safety.
SEATTLE – Alarmed by the growing number of fires at abandoned properties, Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins is supporting a new strong-armed solution that cracks down on private property owners in favor of public safety.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is on board, pushing for emergency legislation that would amend the city’s fire code to order and complete demolition of unsafe buildings.
“We’re still watching the rise in these fires,” said Scoggins to the Seattle City Council Tuesday morning. “Clearly to me that says we need to do something different to solve the problem.”
According to Scoggins, in just the first four months of this year, his crews responded to at least 30 different incidents at vacant buildings across the city. The data collected by Seattle Fire over the past three years highlights what Scoggins calls an escalating hazard. Back in 2021, crews were sent out 70 times to extinguish fires at derelict properties. In 2022, about 20 more. By 2023, the number had jumped to a staggering 130.
The issue isn’t unique to Seattle, as evidenced by a recent fire in Tukwila, where a vacant property became engulfed in flames.
“This is a building that has had previous fires in it,” explained Pat Pawlek with Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority. According to Pawlek, homeless people were scrambling out when crews arrived.
The City of Seattle has highlighted at least 100 blighted properties in desperate need of a tear down.
“[The] last thing that I would want is any of our firefighters or community member to be harmed when we could have taken a very intentional step to solve the problem,” stressed Scoggins.
IT is a regional problem, now with a local fix. The emergency legislation, backed by the mayor, would allow for the demolition of hazardous properties, with the costs passed back to the owners if they fail to comply.
“If we can’t gain compliance, we shouldn’t leave these properties to be open-accessed,” pointed out Scoggins.
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Council has until mid-May to mull the mayor’s proposal over. Both Councilmembers Tammy Morales and Bob Kettle are in support.
Seattle, WA
Mets place former Seattle Mariners 2B/DH Jorge Polanco on IL
CHICAGO (AP) — The struggling New York Mets placed former Seattle Mariners second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a right wrist contusion.
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The move was made retroactive to Wednesday, a day after Polanco went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 2-1 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 32-year-old Polanco is batting .179 (10 for 56) with a homer and two RBIs in his first season with New York, which has lost nine straight.
“When doctors first took a look at him, it looked like he got hit by a pitch when he didn’t,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “In talking to him, it was just a couple of swings that he took that night. … He didn’t think much of it, but just got worse the following day.
“So you just got to let it calm down a little bit and then we’ll go from there. But we don’t have a timetable for how long this is going to last.”
Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Mets in December, also has been dealing with an ankle issue.
“He was trending in the right direction,” Mendoza said of the ankle injury. “It’s definitely going to help, obviously now with him being shut down. But the biggest thing now is that we’ve got to take care of that wrist.”
Polanco spent the previous two seasons with the Mariners, who acquired him in a February 2024 trade with the Minnesota Twins.
Polanco struggled during his first season with Seattle in 2024, hitting just .213 with 16 homers in 118 games while playing through a knee injury that didn’t become public knowledge until after the season.
But after the Mariners somewhat surprisingly brought him back for a one-year contract in 2025, Polanco rebounded to hit .265 with 26 homers and an .821 OPS in 138 games last season. He then added three homers during Seattle’s playoff run, along with a 15th-inning walkoff single in Game 5 of the American League Division Series that sent the Mariners to their first ALCS in 24 years.
Seattle Sports staff made additions to this post.
Mariners RHP Bryce Miller to begin rehab assignment
Seattle, WA
Brandon Nimmo hits leadoff homer, Jacob deGrom works 4 scoreless as Rangers beat Seattle Mariners 5-0
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – APRIL 17: Corey Seager #5 of the Texas Rangers tags out Dominic Canzone #8 of the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park on April 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff home run, Jacob deGrom threw four shutout innings and Gavin Collyer earned his first career win as the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Friday night.
Seattle lost its fourth straight game, and was shut out for the fourth time in 21 games, falling to 8-13. The Mariners were shut out six times during the 2025 season. Texas won its third straight game.
Nimmo led off the game with a 372-foot shot to right field off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (1-3). It was Nimmo’s 16th career leadoff homer and second of the season. He also hit a leadoff home run on April 11 in a 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
DeGrom effectively maneuvered through Seattle’s lineup, and worked out of a one out, bases-loaded jam in the first inning. The two-time Cy Young Award winner recorded two of his three strikeouts after walking Josh Naylor to load the bases. Randy Arozarena fanned on a curveball, and Luke Raley swung through a fastball.
Texas added to its lead after Nimmo’s homer. Wyatt Langford’s single to left scored Corey Seager, who led off the third inning with a double. The Rangers stretched the lead to 3-0 on an RBI single from Jake Burger in the seventh.
The Mariners’ best scoring chance came in the sixth after Collyer (1-0), who worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings, left the game.
J.P. Crawford singled to left off Tyler Alexander with two out, and Mariners third base coach Carlos Cardoza sent Naylor from second base, but he was thrown out by Langford.
Texas added two more runs in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Andrew McCutchen and an RBI double by Josh Jung.
Seattle third baseman Brendan Donovan left the game early due to a left hip issue.
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller, who started the year on the injured list with a left oblique injury, was at T-Mobile Park for the first time this season. He will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.
Up next
Mariners RHP George Kirby (2-2, 3.25) will face Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 5.40) on Saturday afternoon.
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Seattle, WA
Southbound I-5 closing overnight this weekend in Fife, WA for new sign
FIFE, Wash. – A portion of southbound I-5 will be closed overnight in Fife Friday and Saturday night, according to WSDOT.
The Washington State Department of Transportation says the purpose of the closure is to install a new electronic sign and will need two nights to do it.
Crews will close southbound I-5 from 54th Avenue to Port of Tacoma Road starting at 11 p.m. Friday night until 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Closures will resume Saturday night starting at 11 p.m. as well, and lanes will reopen Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m.
WSDOT says the closure will include the 54th Avenue ramps to southbound I-5.
Detours for weekend I-5 closure in Fife, WA
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The Source: Information in this story comes from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
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