Yakima's Buckingham Palace Burns to the Ground
Multiple Yakima news outlets are reporting on one of the largest structure fires of the year. The fire started this morning around 5:00 a.m. at the Buckingham Apartments on South Naches Avenue. One Crackima had some boots on the ground.
Gallery of the Buckingham Apartment Complex fire over time. The fire started at approximately 5:00 a.m., and the roof was completely destroyed by 9:30 a.m. (potentially earlier).
Who Was On Scene?
The responding units included (but were not limited to):
- ALS
- Yakima FD
- East Valley FD
- West Valley FD
- Toppenish FD
We didn't see any police departments, but that doesn't mean they weren't there.
Pacific Power was on-scene by 7:30 a.m. securing the electrical grid. The photos we received showed that by about 9:30 a.m. the majority of the roof was consumed.
Yakima Fire Department ascending to the top of the building. Drone coverage was also present.
The Damage Total
Most news outlets are reporting that the building is a total loss, with about 60 community members being displaced and joining the ranks of Yakima's housing and homelessness crisis.
Thankfully, as of about 1:00 p.m., no fatalities have been reported, and only one person has reportedly been hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
According to Apple Valley News, the American Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter at 302 South 2nd Street, and efforts to find temporary housing for displaced residents are underway.
The fire does not appear to have spread to surrounding properties, though some residences maybe be affected by smoke or collapsing debris. Based on our photos, the fire potentially originated on the top floor in one of the more centrally located units.
No potential cause for the fire has been stated at the time of this publication. It could be a simple household accident; it could be someone left the meth cooking for a little too long. Who knows.
Special Thanks
We'd like to extend our thanks to all the first responders on-scene, with a special shout-out to Toppenish Fire Department for making the drive and to Pacific Power for taking care of our infrastructure during these tenuous times.
Stay safe, Crackima.
