For nearly two decades, Seattle firefighters have complained about a North Seattle station they suspected was making its crews sick. Now, tensions surrounding the notorious Station 31, also known as the “cancer house,” may soon come to end.
On Friday, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins announced the department’s plans to tear down and replace Station 31, pending Seattle City Council approval. It’s a move firefighters have wanted since at least the early 2000s. While the decision resulted from a number of factors, including a lack of space at the Northgate facility, recently recommended environmental improvements tipped the scale toward a full replacement.
“Mold and other health and safety concerns led us down this road, but as we got inside the building we really started to understand the challenges with the facility that really opened up our eyes to a number of other issues and concerns,” Scoggins told reporters Friday.