Renton firefighters along with seven other agencies fought a 3-alarm fire at the city's first McDonalds built in 1967 on Dec. 3 just after 2 p.m.
When Engine 11 arrived they found heavy dense smoke coming from the roof and backside of the restaurant. Ladder 11 reported seeing flame coming out of the furnace vent in center north side of the building. A defensive attack was called after parts of the roof began to collapse.
The restaurant was closed due to a power outage in the area.
According to witnesses, just before the fire the power was restored. A second alarm was called at 2:26 p.m. bring units from Tukwila, King County Fire District 40 and King County Medic One. Flames broke through the roof at 2:41 p.m. Command then called a third alarm at 2:48 p.m. bring units from King County Fire District 20, Kent, and Seatac.
A gas station located within 30 feet of the restaurant had its pumps turned off. However there was no real danger to the station as fire was within the building's structure.
Within moments, 25 percent of the building was fully involved and heavy smoke from all sides.
Tukwila Ladder 54 provided a second ladder to pour water from above to reach active fire. The building dind't have sprinklers. One firefighter was injured during the fire; damage estimates were estimated at $1.7M.
Additional units from Kent and Eastside Fire and Rescue provided additional back-up at Renton Fire stations during the fire.
Fire investigators waited until demolition crews could remove some of the HVAC units and other heavy equipment on the roof.
The fire happened following a long day of responding to service calls due to the severe winter storm that rained more than fire inches over a three-day period.
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