Man Dies in Apartment Fire in Capitol Hill
Did anyone else catch this story of the elderly man, Ed Jackson, that set his apartment on fire and shot himself in the head in an apartment-building at 1605 Bellevue Ave. on Seattle's Capitol Hill on October 27th?
The fire, which was reported about 6:20 a.m., was in a building slated to be torn down, according to the city's department of planning and development. The elderly man was the only occupant of the building, said Dana Vander Houwen, fire department spokeswoman. He was brought out by medics but died at the scene, she said.
The fire began on the first floor and quickly spread to the fourth floor of the building, located at 1605 Bellevue Avenue near Pine Street. A second fire alarm went out at 6:30 a.m. and 65 firefighters showed up to fight the blaze, Vander Houwen said.
The 89-year-old man who died lived in the building for about 40 years, said Dennis Saxman, a friend who knew him. According to a land-use notice, the structure was set to be replaced by a six-story residential (aka Condo) building with ground floor retail and parking for more than 100 cars underground. Does this sound like a familiar plan for an old apartment building on Capitol Hill.
All other tenants in the 26-unit building had moved out, said Reneé Witt, spokeswoman for the Seattle Police Department. The owner had told the victim he had to vacate that day, she said.
"Apparently, he was the last hold out," Witt said. She said there was so much stuff in his apartment that "it was spewing over onto the balcony." It's unclear at this point if the stuff impeded his ability to get out in time, she said.
The victim's wife had died a few years ago and he was living there alone, Saxman said. The victim, "a feisty man with nerves of steel," was having a hard time dealing with the impending move, Saxman said. "It was tough on him," Saxman said. "He had been here for so long."
John Werner — former owner of the complex who sold the building in 2006 — said he had known the victim for more than 20 years. In fact, Werner said, he had employed him and his wife to manage the property. Werner described the victim as robust, saying that the first time he saw a doctor was when he was in his early 80's. He and his wife apparently had no children and had lived in the building since 1969, Werner said. "He was a fine gentleman, very dependable," Werner said. "It's very sad."
This is clearly a story of a person that was lost in the mix. The current owner should have helped him with relocation services since he was an 89-year old man. I mean come on Yo! This is so disturbing that he dedicated 40 years of his life to the upkeep of this property and they just left him to literally die in it. What kind of respect of human dignity do they have. I hope that he continues to haunt the building leaving it unmarketable. I am sure his spirit will stay there with such a tragic event. Condo buyers beware.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008319691_firedeath28m.html