Seattle's deadliest fire in years kills 4 children, 1 adult

It was the highest death toll for a fire in Seattle in at least 10 years, said Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick, and officials said fire crews were hampered by a malfunction on the first fire truck on the scene.

The victims were a 21-year-old woman, two boys aged 14 and 5, and two girls aged 7 and 5. Three of the victims were siblings, and all were related.

A woman who fled the apartment as the fire broke out was able to save one young child, and she was screaming that more children were inside. Neighbors restrained her from running back into the flames amid a chaotic scene outside the apartment complex.

The fire was first reported at about 10:05 a.m. at the complex, located at Leary Way NW and NW 41st Street, and firefighters arrived on scene shortly afterward.

However, due to a pump malfunction on the first fire truck that arrived, crews were unable to spray water on the fire immediately. After a second truck arrived, crews were able to fight the fire, which was put out within about 40 minutes of when it was reported, Fitzpatrick said.

Witnesses said the woman who ran out of the burning apartment had managed to save a child of another woman, but she herself lost all three of her own children. It was not immediately clear who the 21-year-old adult was.

KOMO News spoke to several eyewitnesses to the tragedy, who were able to give an expanded description of rapidly unfolding events:

Neighbors heard a "pop" and saw flames through the kitchen window of one apartment unit. Then two neighbors who live nearby raced to the unit with two water hoses as other neighbors called 911.

At about the same time, the woman who lives at the unit ran outside with a child in her arms, screaming "fire" and "My babies! My babies!" Her own three children and the child of another woman were still inside, along with the 21-year-old.

Meanwhile, one neighbor sprayed water in through the front door into the living room and another broke the kitchen window and sprayed water onto flames from there.

Despite their efforts, flames spread quickly through the apartment unit as the five people inside ran into another room to try to escape the blaze and became trapped there.

By the time firefighters arrived on the scene, neighbors said, the flames had spread throughout the apartment unit and black smoke was pouring out.

Then there was an additional delay as firefighters dealt with the malfunctioning pump, giving the fire more time to spread.

Meanwhile, the other woman arrived on the scene who had lost a child in the blaze, and she began screaming for her lost little one.

Fire officials have not confirmed the above version of events - other than to say that the response was delayed by about two minutes by a malfunctioning pump in the first truck on the scene.

Damage was mostly confined to two units at the complex, and all of the victims were found in one unit, officials said. There are a total of five two-story townhouse units in the complex.

Fire Chief Gregory Dean says it is too early to say if the equipment problem kept crews from reaching the victims in time.

"I can't tell you that it did or did not. All I know is that upon our arrival we saw heavy dark smoke and flames coming out, which is pretty hard to sustain life in itself."

But several neighbors said they were shocked at how casual the firefighters appeared as they responded to the blaze.

"It was 10 minutes between the time I called and they got here, and 10 more minutes before they got the water," said one woman who was clearly angered by what she saw.

"And it seemed like a nonchalant, don't-give-a-crap attitude. Oh, 'it was just another little fire' kind of attitude," said another neighbor.

Many witnesses did not want to appear on camera, saying they didn't want to bad-mouth the fire department. But off-camera they said that seeing the response to the tragic fire has changed their opinion to a deeply negative one.

"I'm ashamed of the fire department - for them, and I'm ashamed of them," said one person.

Others were critical of the way the distraught mothers were treated by medics and firefighters. Witnesses said 30 minutes elapsed before anyone approached them, and then they were shoved into an ambulance against their will. Both were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Chaplains later arrived on scene, along with Seattle fire and police investigators.

One firefighter suffered a minor back injury and was also rushed to Harborview for treatment.

Mayor Mike McGinn came to the scene briefly after the fire was extinguished. He spoke with firefighters, but made no public statements. McGinn then left for Harborview Medical Center to meet with the two women.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

This is a developing news story. More information will be posted as it becomes available.

A neighbor reacts as firefighters extinguish a blaze that claimed five lives at a Fremont apartment complex.

Firefighters talk among themselves after extinguishing the fire that claimed five lives at a Fremont apartment complex.

Firefighters talk among themselves after extinguishing the fire that claimed five lives at a Fremont apartment complex.

Neighbors react after learning that five people lost their lives in a Fremont apartment fire.

Neighbors react after learning that five people lost their lives in a Fremont apartment fire.

Gaping holes can be seen in the roof of the burned apartment unit after firefighters sawed through it to battle the blaze.