[outages] Perhaps this explains why Qwest was having problems...

[netgeek]

Firefighters from 6 departments battle blaze at Qwest building in Tukwila

Nearly 75 firefighters from across King County worked together Monday 
afternoon to put out a three-alarm fire in the roof of a Qwest 
Communications building in Tukwila.

By Noelene Clark

Seattle Times staff reporter

Scores of firefighters from across King County worked together Monday 
afternoon to put out a three-alarm fire in the roof of a Qwest 
Communications building in Tukwila.

Nobody was hurt in the fire, started by roofers working with hot tar at 
about 3:45 p.m., said Tukwila Fire Battalion Commander Marty Grisham.

The fire got into the insulation, spreading beneath catwalks and 
air-conditioning systems, he said.

"It was a concealed fire, and those are just really tough," Grisham 
said. "It wasn't a big fire, but it was a very manpower-intensive fire."

Almost 75 firefighters from Tukwila, Seattle, Renton, King County Fire 
District 20, Kent and SeaTac departments were called to help contain the 
fire, he said.

Everyone in the building — fewer than 10 people — evacuated, a Tukwila 
fire spokesman said.

Firefighters had to cut part of the roof away to get to the blaze, 
Grisham said. They also ran a salvage operation to rescue computers and 
other expensive equipment from water damage, he said.

"It was very physically demanding," Grisham said.

Several medic units stood by, and teenagers participating in Tukwila's 
Fire Explorers program ran a "rehab station" with food, drinks and 
emergency first-aid equipment to support the firefighters as they 
battled the blaze for more than two hours, Grisham said.

Fire marshals are expected to make a damage estimate Tuesday, he said.