Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Michael O'Leary / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Firefighters battle a fire at the Sno-Isle Tech Skills Center off Airport Road in Everett on Tuesday afternoon. Michael O'Leary / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Firefighters battle a fire at the Sno-Isle Tech Skills Center off Airport Road in Everett on Tuesday afternoon.  Photo Gallery: Sno-Isle Fire  Photo Gallery: Reader photos from Sno-Isle fire   ADVERTISEMENT   Fire location View Larger Map   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, May 5, 2009 Fire destroys building at Sno-Isle Tech Skills Center By Eric Stevick and Katya Yefimova Herald Writer EVERETT – Construction workers likely sparked the enormous blaze that destroyed one of the buildings of the Sno-Isle Tech Skills Center off Airport Road this afternoon, officials said. Everett fire investigators believe sparks made while cutting metal atop the building’s roof started the fire, Everett Fire Department Assistant Chief Joe Johnston said. The construction workers tried to douse the blaze, but it got away from them and quickly spread. As dozens of firefighters battled the fire in heavy winds, flames leaped off the roof of the building and a dark plume could be seen as far away as Brier. There were huge clouds of black smoke and the wind was blowing it onto roadways nearby affecting visibility. The center at 9001 Airport Road is near the Boeing Co. plant. One firefighter was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. He slipped in the parking lot, officials said. Spectators lined fences around the fire watching the firefighters work. Sno-Isle is home to 835 students who split time between the center and their high schools. Classes at the school were canceled Wednesday, school district officials said. High school students had already left classes for the day and school officials believe no one was inside the building. The building - one of several on the campus - was undergoing extensive remodeling. "It's going to be a major disruption," said Tom Clemans, a Sno-Isle teacher for 17 years, who is watching the flames. “It’s really a lot of smoke,” said James Wilson, an Everett Community College student who is taking a machining class at night. Zoltan Kuthy of Lynnwood, 60, also a night student at Sno-Isle, has been watching the fire from the campus parking lot. He said he can’t leave until the smoke clears. Several hours after the fire began, crews still worked to put down flames. The building is a complete loss, Everett Fire Marshal Glen Martinsen said. Everett city officials also canceled sports programs at Kasch Park tonight due to the smoke. Videos submitted by Daron Johnson READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Early morning gunfire wounds 2 in Everett 2. Father guilty of manslaughter in girl's death 3. ZZ Top fans get Everett buzzing 4. Crash devastating for toddler 5. Snohomish County budget passes, with a caveat 6. Fall 2009 Wesco All-League Teams 7. Laundry fire sparks concerns over smoke detectors 8. Two people injured in Highway 9 collision 9. Northrop: Boeing's 767 ‘no longer commercially viable' 10. Lynnwood police seek hit-and-run driver 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings • Ruling in the pool • Archbishop Murphy takes title • A season of performing arts • Budget numbers have official fuming • Wildcats move on to 2A semifinals • Holiday Bazaars & Fairs Calendar • Edmonds’ Westgate Chapel serves up hospitality for holiday • Mavericks fall • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million