Original Post: 9/3/2026 at 1:15pm
East Precinct Officers See Flames and Run into Buring Building
It was clearly an instance of being in the right place at the right time.
Two Seattle police officers sprinted into a burning Cherry Hill apartment building on Monday morning. One of the officers was a student officer working the first shift of their career.
On August 31st, just after 5:00 a.m., officers spotted flames coming from a second story apartment window in the 1600 block of East Madison Street. Officers broke the glass of the lobby door to enter, then ran up the stairs till they found the burning unit. Police kicked at the door, until the disoriented 28-year-old resident opened it. Officers evacuated the man from his burning, smokey unit, but not before asking if he had any pets that needed to be saved as well.
Police responded from all over the East Precinct, dropping whatever they were doing and running to their cars to get to the scene. As the smoke grew thicker, more officers ran into the building to evacuate the residents, many of whom were still asleep because the fire alarm had not sounded.
Officers ran up flights of stairs, yelling for residents to leave and banging on their doors. When the rescue efforts became too dangerous, officers evacuated the building while the Seattle Fire Department prepared to begin fighting the flames.
These Seattle police officers knew the danger that awaited them and ran into a burning building to save the lives of strangers; a decision that exemplified their promise to serve with courage and dedication. Each officer received a commendation for their part in the rescue and will be recognized by the department for their outstanding work.
Incident: 2026-258426 / East Precinct