The Associated Press
SEATTLE — A roaring fire swept through an old wooden pier early Wednesday, damaging three boats and a building at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s operations center.
The fire at the NOAA pier on Lake Union, which is linked to Puget Sound by a ship canal, started about 1:30 a.m., more than two hours after the end of a large Fourth of July fireworks show over the lake, Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick had no details about the boats or building that were damaged, but the pier is part of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Operations Center.
According to a NOAA Web site, five ships are based at the center, including two 231-foot hydrographic survey vessels. The center also provides support to NOAA’s fleet of vessels in the Pacific. The offices were closed at the time of the fire.
The cause of the blaze wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday morning.