The Seattle City Council took a step forward on legislation Tuesday that would grant authority to the Seattle Fire Department to tear down vacant, derelict buildings. The SFD chief said he is poised to act as soon as the emergency legislation goes into effect in May. But, there may be a slight catch. In a briefing before the public safety committee on Tuesday, SFD Chief Harold Scoggins pleaded with City Council for action on vacant buildings, noting his department responded to 130 fires in derelict structures in 2023 and is on pace to do the same this year. Scoggins, along with Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, have asked the City Council for authorization to change the code to allow the city to tear down problematic buildings and force the owners to pay for the mitigation. -------------------------------------------------- For more on the lead story: https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-vacant-building-fire-legislation-sfd-city-council-demolish-unsafe-firefighters-crisis-derelict-city-council _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: KOMO News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KOMONews/ KOMO News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/komonews KOMO News on Instagram: http://instagram.com/komo4 KOMO News on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@komo4seattle Subscribe to KOMO on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC__2_0RJ8XnHt2angfw6S1Q Watch more top local news stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G97AyNO_3IE For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit http://www.komonews.com/ Watch our live newscasts and other live video at https://komonews.com/watch Download our iOS App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/komo-news-mobile/id433508161?mt=8 Download our Android App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.newssynergy.komo&hl=en Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: tips@komonews.com Call the Newsroom: 206.404.4000 KOMO News (ABC 4) provides the latest breaking news, sports, weather, traffic, and local event coverage in the Seattle and Western Washington/Puget Sound area including Bellevue, Redmond, Renton, Kent, Tacoma, Bellingham, Yakima, and surrounding communities #komo #komonews #komo4 #komo4news #seattle #seattlenews #washingtonnews #community #fire #blaze #vacantbuilding #firefighters #sfd #seattlefire #seattlefiredepartment #department #disaster #911 This video and all Sinclair Broadcast Group content archives of local news and sports coverage are available for your use. For more information contact us at contentsales@sbgtv.com