Fire crews said the first calls came in just after 11 p.m. Saturday, from neighbors reporting sounds of an explosion.

'Thick plumes of smoke' were seen billowing from several sections as employees rushed to evacuate via staircases.

COMMUNITIES AWAY. OUR MARY CELESTE IS THERE LIVE WITH WHAT’S STILL A VERY ACTIVE SCENE. TONIGHT, WE’RE HEARING FROM THOSE WHO RUSHED IN TO HELP THAT MOTHER AND DAUGHTER. YEAH, IT IS AN ACTIVE SCENE.

The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) says crews responded to reports of a fire inside a high-rise residential building in South Lake Union on Friday morning.