Overnight fire at Italian eatery Cafe Da Pino (UPDATES)

Seattle Fire Department units responded to a call at Cafe Da Pino (2207 NE 65th St) just after 2 AM.

Details are few at this time, but KING 5 News’ overnight photographer, James S, said (via Twitter) that there was a small fire in the wall, and that no flames were visible outside the restaurant.

The building the small Italian eatery is located in also contains Vitality Pilates and Thrive Art School.

We will have more details about the fire and damage later in the morning, and will post updates here.

UPDATE (9:31 AM): Picture of the building taken at 8:30 AM shows minimal damage to the exterior of the building. Vitality Pilates at the west end of the building (out of the picture) appeared to be open.

Picture of building that houses Cafe Da Pino, taken the morning after the fire.

UPDATE (10:17 AM): We have details now about the fire from the Seattle Fire Department’s Kyle Moore.

Someone driving by around 2 AM called 911 after seeing flames coming from a wall of the restaurant. After forcibly entering the building, fire fighters encountered lots of smoke, but no flames or heat. They determined the cause was faulty knob and tube wiring in a wall, which had been smoldering for some time. The fire was cut out of the wall. There were no injuries, and the damage is estimated at $20,000 (primarily smoke damage).

UPDATE (12:29 PM): Q13 FOX has story up about the Cafe Da Pino fire, which includes a picture of where fire fighters had to forcibly enter the restaurant (the east side of the building).

UPDATE (3:14 PM): The Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Line site has some photos of this morning’s action.

Click the photo above to read "Electrical Wiring caused Fire at Ravenna Italian Restaurant" on Fire Line

Bryant house fire quickly tapped, no one injured (UPDATES)

A sharp-eyed neighbor called 911 after noticing a nearby two-story house (on the 6500 block of 37th Avenue NE) emitting smoke from the attic.

Twenty minutes later, responding Seattle Fire Department staff had the fire tapped. The fire had started in the kitchen of the home and spread upstairs to the attic, said the Seattle Fire Department’s Kyle Moore.

No one was home at the time of the fire.

UPDATE (1:05 PM): Seattle Red Cross is “assisting two adults and three children affected by the fire” (via Twitter).

UPDATE (3:19 PM): Some more details and fire safety tips from SFD PIO Kyle Moore (via email):

The cause was accidental. The homeowner accidentally activated the electric stove top with combustibles stored on top of the stove. Those combustibles ignited causing extensive damage to the kitchen and smoke damage to a majority of the house. A Seattle Fire Investigator estimates the damage at 50 thousand dollars to the structure and 20 thousand to the contents.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries. Here are some safety tips from NFPA:

  • Be alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop
  • Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
  • If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
  • Keep anything that can catch fire—oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains—away from your stovetop.

Remembering Will Stacey – Ravenna Blog Sunday Edition

February Story Time schedule for the Northeast Branch

Children’s Services Librarian Erica Delavan will be in schools (talking about the Global Reading Challenge) and on vacation for part of the month of February, so the Story Time dates are few:

Toddler Story Time (Geared for ages 1-3)
Thursdays, February 2, 9 at 10:15 & 11:15 a.m.

Preschool Story Time (Geared for ages 3-5)
Tuesdays, February 7, 28 at 10:30 a.m.

Pajamas & Puppets (All Ages)
Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m.

The Northeast Branch of the Seattle Public Library is located at 6801 35th Avenue NE, the same block as Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts (apropos of nothing).

UW professor’s propeller, bound for park, winds up stolen instead (UPDATE)

UPDATE (Friday, February 3): The propeller has been found! Via Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Parkways blog:

Seattle Parks has possession of the propeller that was stolen earlier this week from the University District. After discovering the stolen propeller at the Northwest Corporate Park in Kent, a security guard contacted the Kent Police Department.

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Seattle Parks and Recreation is asking for the public’s help in finding a stolen object bound for installation at a north end park.

The missing object in question: A 70-inch diameter 1,260-pound stainless steel propeller.

Details from Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Dewey Potter (via email):

The University District Community Council and Philip Thiel, naval architect and Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington, were preparing to donate a 70” diameter, stainless steel propeller to Parks as an installation in a north end park.

Unfortunately, thieves drove up an alley in the University District this morning and, managing to overcome the obstacles of both a retaining wall and a fence, lifted the 1,260 lb. propeller onto a truck and drive away with it. There were no witnesses. Neighbors heard a commotion and called the police, but the thieves were long gone.

Professor Thiel and the missing propeller (pre-theft) / Photo courtesy Seattle Parks and Recreation

The propeller is/was to be used in North Passage Point Park in the Northgate area.

The public is asked to keep an eye out for the missing propeller. If spotted, please call the Seattle Police Department’s non-emergency number (206-684-5011) and contact Seattle Parks and Recreation (206-684-7241).

Rough Rider senior players to be honored at tonight’s Roosevelt High basketball games (UPDATE)

UPDATE (Wednesday): The Roosevelt News has a wrap-up and slideshow of last night’s Girls varsity game. A piece on the Boys varsity game will join it later today, at that same link.

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At tonight’s Roosevelt High School varsity boys and girls basketball games, graduating senior players will be honored.

Before the evening’s games, senior members of each team will stand with family, be thanked for their time with their respective teams, and what college they will be attending (if known) will be announced.

The Boys’ varsity team has seven seniors: Corey Scott, Jake DiJulio, AJ Edwards, Adrian Noteboom, Turner Huletz, Joe Knight and Brian Merry. The Girls varsity team has five: Katherine Woodworth, Sydney Melkerson, Sydney Morrill, Tanner Adams, and Meg Monsen.

Girls take the court tonight at 5:45 PM, Boys at 7:30 PM, at Roosevelt High School (1410 NE 66th St). Both games are against Woodinville. Cost is $6 for adults, $4 for ages 6 through high school (with an activity card), and free for ages 5 and under, and home students with an activity card.

The Roosevelt High School newspaper, The Roosevelt News, was kind enough to share with us shots of the senior boys in action:

A.J. Edwards / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Turner Huletz / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Jake Dijulio / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Joe Knight / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Adrian Noteboom / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Brian Merry / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Special thanks to RHS students Brian Merry (Varsity Basketball senior) and Mitchell Smith (Roosevelt News Sports Editor) for their help with this post.

Ravenna Blog – Sunday Edition

Full Council vote on the Roosevelt Rezone (LIVE COVERAGE)

On Monday, January 30, at 2 PM, the Seattle City Council will vote on Council Bill 117379, better known as the Roosevelt Residential Urban Village rezone.

We will be watching the live stream (via the Seattle Channel) from Ravenna Blog HQ and covering the action in the space below. Readers may follow along (and make comments) during the live event, or come back later to read our notes. We will also embed the video of the meeting here once it is available.

SPOILER ALERT: The Full Council meeting agenda already includes eight of the nine Councilmembers’ votes (then Council President Conlin was absent from the December 14, 2011 Committee on the Built Environment meeting due to illness).

DIY-apolooza: Sustainable NE Seattle’s Hands On skills fair returns

Sustainable NE Seattle’s second annual Hands On Community Skills Fair takes place on Saturday, February 11.

From the Hands On homepage:

People are recognizing the joy, satisfaction and security of being able to provide for our own needs, shifting from dependence on giant corporations to a healthy interdependence with our local community. Let’s re-learn the skills our grandparents knew!

Over twenty folks from our neighborhoods have stepped up to share skills such as food preservation, grafting, tool repair, and making clothes.

Skill workshops will be held from 11 AM-5 PM at both the Ravenna-Eckstein and Meadowbrook community centers (with vanpool available). A community potluck at Meadowbrook from 5:30-7:30 PM follows (bring a dish to share and your own utensils).

Workshop offerings include:

  • Simple Bike Repair
  • Basic Plumbing Repair
  • Fermentation
  • Basic Sushi Making
  • Basic Trauma Assessment and Splinting
  • Making Cheese I and II
  • Kid’s Realm (variety of quick, easy to learn skills appropriate for kids and teens)
  • and lots, lots more

A few of the workshops (such as Simple Bike Repair and the Kid’s Realm) are ongoing throughout the day, but most have a set time and registrant limit.

Hands On costs $15 in advance ($20 at the door) for as many workshops as you can fit into your schedule.

To register (through the Seattle Parks and Recreation Connection [SPARC] system), follow the instructions on the Hands On homepage.

Eckstein Middle School briefly locked down after dog attack

We’ve been updating the story over at Roosiehood. Click the picture below to read it in full.

The short version is: Dogs loose, bus driver bit, dogs captured by police, no students injured or involved.