"We knew eventually this would happen."
That's the reaction from several residents in Seattle's Crown Hill neighborhood a day after a fire destroyed two unauthorized RVs parked in their neighborhood. Neighbors insist the RVs have been a regular fixture for over the last year.
Resident Yvette Vandermolen said the RVs have left at times, but it's only temporary. She said the vehicles tend to toggle between her neighborhood and parking near Carkeek Park.
Vandermolen said she's been sounding the alarm on unauthorized RVs parked along 8th Avenue Northwest for months through the city of Seattle's Find It, Fix It App.
"We got no response, just an automated message that says the city is working to address homelessness,” Vandermolen said.
On Sunday afternoon, two of the four RVs parked on 8th Avenue Northwest, directly beneath the Holman Road overpass, were fully engulfed in flames. The RV fires were captured on camera by a man who lives in the neighborhood.
The man didn't want to comment about the fires but wanted people to know what happened.
Another neighbor, Peter, who didn't want to share his last name, canvassed the neighborhood Monday handing out fliers and encouraging residents to consider signing a petition to call on the city to take action. The petition drive was launched in early May and warns of concerns about public safety and fire dangers, among other things.
"It's not just a fire hazard. People could have been seriously hurt or killed," said Peter.
The video shows massive flames devouring the two RVs, popping sounds and shattering glass from the two vehicles. Possibly eight propane tanks were found charred at the site on Monday.
"It was a shock to me,” Peter said. “It was scary to hear the explosions happening and to see people running and screaming.”
"I look outside, and I see this huge plume of smoke," said Martin, who lives in the neighborhood, adding that the smoke was so intense he couldn't see what was burning until the fire was knocked down.
The flames were so high they reached above the Holman Road overpass. Drivers above could see the flames, and so could Vandermolen and her husband from their bedroom window.
"All I could think is if it gets that tree line, then a lot of us are in trouble," Vandermolen said.
And despite the shock and scare, she and her neighbors, who live in nearby townhouses, were not surprised.
"We knew this was going to happen because there are propane tanks and all kinds of flammable stuff. We knew eventually this was going to happen," Vandermolen insisted.
Vandermolen said she has asked the city through its app to remove the RVs and help the homeless.
Peter has called on the city, too, reaching out to Seattle Councilmember Dan Strauss's office because their neighborhood is in his district. Peter said he is one of 500 signatures on a petition worried about fire danger and public safety.
"Neighbors felt like we had to do something, we felt powerless, felt like this was the only way to galvanize people to come together," Peter said.
Keisha Matthews was asleep when she heard someone screaming fire. She and her partner ran to help, but the bucket of water she had was no match.
"We tried putting it out, but it was already too late," said Matthews.
Matthews lives in an RV parked across the street from the burned-out trailers. She insisted she and her partner are more than happy to park somewhere else, but there is nowhere else to go. She said she started a job recently and hopes to get out of homelessness but is struggling with housing costs.
"We don't want to be here and don't want to cause problems. There is nowhere for us to go, and a safe lot was supposed to be open two years ago," Matthews said.
The neighborhood petition not only calls on the City Council to take action but suggests potential safe lot locations.
KOMO News asked Councilmember Strauss what the city is doing about residential concerns. He sent this statement via email:
After calling 911, Crown Hill neighbors immediately called me and we spoke in real-time about the fires. Because of their quick action, I was on-scene and assisted SDOT with the cleanup, spoke to a number of people in the neighborhood, and ensured we, the City, did as much as possible last night. First thing this morning, I spoke with the Mayor’s office and will continue collaborating with them and District 6 residents to address literal fires like this one in the short-term, as well as addressing the underlying root causes in the long-term.