Bomb squad, firefighters swarm Queen Anne apartments for explosion that severed man’s hand
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By KIRO 7 News Staff
SEATTLE — A bomb squad, hazmat team, police, and firefighters swarmed an apartment building in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne neighborhood after an explosion there on Wednesday.
Authorities confirmed to KIRO 7 that the explosion was caused by fireworks inside an apartment. The blast severed a man’s hand.
At about 9:37 a.m., firefighters and police were dispatched to the 100 block of First Avenue North near Denny Way for a report of a fire at an apartment building. Emergency dispatchers received additional 911 calls from people inside the building who said they heard an explosion in a basement unit.
Firefighters arrived and found a 36-year-old man with an injured hand who was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious, but non-life-threatening, condition.
According to police, the man said he was handling a firework in his home when it exploded in his hand.
No active fire was found at the scene, according to Seattle Fire.
A witness who spoke to KIRO 7 said he was the injured man’s roommate and was sleeping when he was suddenly jolted awake by an unfamiliar sound.
Scene of explosion at Lower Queen Anne apartment building Firefighters, police, a bomb squad and a hazmat team were called to an apartment building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for reports of an explosion and fire. (KIRO 7 News)
Response to explosion at Lower Queen Anne apartments (KIRO 7 News)
Explosion reported at Queen Anne apartments Firefighters, police, a bomb squad and a hazmat team were called to an apartment building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for reports of an explosion and fire. (KIRO 7 News)
Explosion reported at Queen Anne apartments Firefighters, police, a bomb squad and a hazmat team were called to an apartment building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for reports of an explosion and fire. (KIRO 7 News)
Explosion reported at Queen Anne apartments Firefighters, police, a bomb squad and a hazmat team were called to an apartment building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for reports of an explosion and fire. (KIRO 7 News)
Explosion reported at Queen Anne apartments Firefighters, police, a bomb squad and a hazmat team were called to an apartment building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for reports of an explosion and fire. (KIRO 7 News)
Explosion reported at Queen Anne apartments Firefighters, police, a bomb squad and a hazmat team were called to an apartment building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for reports of an explosion and fire. (KIRO 7 News)
Explosion reported at Queen Anne apartments Firefighters, police, a bomb squad and a hazmat team were called to an apartment building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for reports of an explosion and fire. (KIRO 7 News)
Explosion reported at Queen Anne apartments Firefighters, police, a bomb squad and a hazmat team were called to an apartment building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for reports of an explosion and fire. (KIRO 7 News)
Explosion reported at Queen Anne apartments Firefighters, police, a bomb squad and a hazmat team were called to an apartment building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for reports of an explosion and fire. (KIRO 7 News)
He said he found his injured roommate in a terrifying state and had to help him until firefighters arrived.
“I removed myself from the building — a bomb went off or an explosive — just something very loud or unnatural and unnormal, realizing it was in a unit or in or around mine, I removed myself from the building,” the man said.
As a precaution, the building was evacuated and hazmat crews responded. By about 9:50 a.m., a bomb squad was seen at the building, where a sign said Arkona Apartments. Detectives did not find any other volatile material.
The Seattle Fire Department made a one-block perimeter around the building. Only members of fire and law enforcement were allowed in the area as a safety measure.
By 11:40 a.m., Seattle Fire said it was reducing its response to a few units and the scene was being transferred to the Seattle Police Department.