Fire Destroys West Seattle Supermarket -- 2 Suffer Minor Injuries As Firefighters Battle For Hours

It may have had an espresso stand out front, but the old Fauntleroy Thriftway was anything but trendy.

Bargains, fresh produce, clerks who knew your name and a convenient location made the small supermarket a neighborhood gathering spot.

This morning, neighbors and customers stood stunned as firefighters worked to put out the last of a blaze that burned the West Seattle grocery to its foundation last night. All that remained was a blackened shell.

"I'm really quite bummed that it's gone," said Jessica Johnston, standing across the street at the Pacific Bagel shop where she works. Johnston lives nearby and, with no car, had done all her grocery shopping at the store. Her own customers coming in this morning for bagels and coffee were also lamenting the loss, she said.

The Thriftway was "the epitome of the Morgan Junction neighborhood, 'cause it's kind of slow but super-friendly," added Tom Niemeyer, who lives in an apartment next door and was videotaping the cleanup. "It took me two visits to become a recognized customer."

Real-estate records show the property - on Southwest Morgan Street where California Avenue Southwest and Fauntleroy Way Southwest meet - had been sold last year to a Dallas developer. The store was targeted for demolition and was to be replaced by a much larger store on the same property.

Neither a cause nor a damage estimate was available today, though Seattle Fire Department Battalion Chief John Gablehouse said there was no evidence the fire was suspicious or that it was arson.

He said it started in the back of the building while two employees were restocking shelves.

"Pretty soon, with the south wind we were having, the fire swept through the store," Gablehouse said. He said he could not confirm rumors that it started in the kitchen, and that employees had tried to put it out themselves before it got out of control.

The first firefighters arrived shortly before midnight; several hours passed before they brought the blaze under control. Two firefighters were hurt slightly but all customers and employees escaped without injury.

As the flames rolled out into the parking lot last night, firefighters were forced to move their trucks and other equipment farther away.

The roaring of the flames was punctuated by dozens of small explosions, apparently aerosol cans in the store blowing up because of the heat.

Two hours after the first alarm, the concrete blocks forming the east wall of the building began falling when the heat weakened and then destroyed the mortar, giving firefighters additional openings through which they could pour massive streams of water.

"It's so sad," said Pat Schaber, running to catch a bus this morning. "The employees were so wonderful."

"It's a very Seattle-like store because it had a big selection of health food," added customer Madonna Colony.