One of the five people killed in Fremont’s fatal apartment fire on Saturday was a kindergartener at Greenwood Elementary School.

The school confirms that 6-year-old Nisreen Shamam was one of the victims, and her younger brother, 5-year-old Yaseen Shamam, also a victim, would have been a student there in the fall.

School secretary Cheryl Kelly says the school will have counselors on hand today to help students cope with the tragedy. She says they also have a security guard who will be keeping the media away from grieving students.

The school’s Facebook page says they will be organizing some kind of memorial or fundraiser. Funds are also being accepted at the Red Door, 3401 Evanston Ave. N., in Fremont. You can pay your respects to the family at the Yesler Community Center, where the Ethiopian tradition of a week of mourning continues.

Construction has begun on the temporary site of Fire Station 21 at the corner of Greenwood Avenue North and North 68th Street.

Fire fighters and all their trucks and equipment will be housed in industrial tents and trailers while the current Station 21 at Greenwood Avenue North and NW 73rd Street is demolished and rebuilt.

The two Seattle Fire Investigators who caught suspected Greenwood arsonist Kevin Swalwell will be honored Friday night at the Seattle Fire Department Promotions and Awards Night celebration.

Fire Investigators Jim Berger and Steve Olson – Honored with a Meritorious Service Award for their role in the apprehension of a serial arsonist who terrorized the Greenwood neighborhood for months. In the early morning hours of November 13, 2009, Berger and Olson were patrolling Greenwood in an unmarked vehicle when they heard Seattle Fire units called to assist with a large fire in Shoreline. They drove towards the fire and spotted a person of interest watching the fire from a bus stop. They called in Seattle Police, who arrested the man. He later confessed to setting 10 fires in the Greenwood area.

Updated 8:10 p.m.: More than a dozen fire units responded to a house fire at 3rd Ave. at 87th St. a little after 7:30 p.m. Firefighters discovered flames shooting out of a window on the north side of the house.

Minutes later, the fire was out, and there are no reports of any injuries. As of 8 p.m., 3rd Ave. is closed down in both directions due to the large fire response.

If you’re hearing the sirens and helicopters, fire crews from all over north Seattle are on the scene of a building fire east of Green Lake.

Our sister site, MapleLeafLife is reporting one fatality.

The Greenwood Fire Relief Fund is cutting the final checks today for those affected by last year’s arson spree. They’ll be distributing about $10,000 this round. The fund raised a total of $19,158 for businesses and individuals affected by the arsons.

Kevin Todd Swalwell has been charged with 11 counts of arson and one count of burglary. He is expected back in court on March 1.

The Greenwood Fire Relief Fund, set up to help the many victims of the Greenwood arson spree last year, is set to close one week from today. The fund, at Chase Bank, will still accept donations through next Wednesday. The fund will then be closed and all money distributed. We’re told the fund currently has about $8,000.

On Nov. 14, the fund disbursed its first round of monies to the four businesses destroyed in the Oct. 23 arson of the Eleanor Roosebelt Building: Pho Tic Tac, Szechuan Bistro, C.C. Teriyaki and Green Bean Coffeehouse. The Green Bean subsequently reopened inside the Greenwood Sip & Ship at 8560 Greenwood Ave. N. Pho Tic Tac has a second location at 14515 Aurora Ave. N. in Shoreline.

Other victims of the months-long arson spree:

• The former OK Corral restaurant at 8733 Greenwood Ave. N. on June 19.
• A building housing Moonphoto and Wish at 7708 Greenwood Ave. N. on Aug. 12.
• A building housing O-Rings West at 1111 N. 98th St. on Aug. 13.
• A house fire at 108 NW 84th St. that seriously burned one man and displaced another family on Aug. 13.
• Taproot Theatre sustained heavy smoke and water damage as the adjacent Eleanor Roosevelt Building burned on Oct. 23. (Taproot reopened Jan. 27.)
• CPA Seattle at 338 NW 85th St. on Nov. 5.
• Rosewood Guitar at 8401 Greenwood Ave. N. on Nov. 5.
• Moonphoto at 7704 Greenwood Ave. N. on Nov. 8.
• Olive You at 8516 Greenwood Ave. N. on Nov. 9. (Its next door neighbor, Kalia Indian Cuisine, was also heavily damaged by smoke and water.)
• Greenwood Quickstop at 8102 Greenwood Ave. N. on Nov. 9.

A number of businesses throughout the neighborhood raised money for the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund through T-shirt sales and donation boxes, and an auction was held the week before Christmas with items donated by local merchants.

The vacant lot on the corner of Greenwood Ave. N.  and N. 68th St. has passed environmental review and gets the green light to be the site of the temporary Fire Station 21, while the old station on Greenwood and N. 73rd St. gets demolished and rebuilt.

During construction, the Defenders of Greenwood and their equipment will be housed in industrial tents and trailers. I contacted the city today to get an updated timeline, and here’s what they told me.

Currently, parts of the future Fire Station 21 temporary station are being used to house crews while construction takes place at other fire station projects in the city. When the tents and trailers become available, they will be moved to the temporary Fire Station 21 site.

At this point, we anticipate construction will begin around April 2010. As progress is made on other stations, we will be able to pinpoint a more specific date.

Here’s the scale model of the new Fire Station 21, which will be two stories tall.

We had a great time at Friday night’s auction to raise money for the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund. Organizers tell us about 125 people attended and they raised about $3,500. Thanks to all the fine folks who volunteered their time to set this up, and to all the local businesses who donated items.

Don’t forget that the silent auction to benefit the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund is tonight at the Upper Crust Catering at the corner of Greenwood and 85th. The auction is from 7-9 p.m.; cost is $5 (kids are free).

For that you’ll get some munchies and a little wine, and have the opportunity to buy some great items donated by local businesses. There’s also raffles, prizes and live music by local singer/songwriter Ali Marcus. Auction items include gift certificates to a number of local businesses (including photography sessions, dinners, massage therapy), and items such as printers, books and clothing. For more information: greenwoodfireauction@gmail.com.

Here’s another way you can support the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund and all the businesses damaged or destroyed in the arson spree: Neptune Coffee is selling these T-shirts for $15, and $5 of that will go to the GFRF.

Owner Dan Baumfeld says you can buy the shirts at the coffee shop, at 8415 Greenwood Ave. N., or place an order by email.

The Greenwood Fire Relief Fund has made its second round of distributions to those affected by the months-long arson spree.

The first round was distributed Nov. 14, when the GFRF distributed $1,000 to each of the four businesses destroyed in the Oct. 23 arson: Green Bean Coffeehouse, Pho Tic Tac, CC Teriyaki and Szechuan Bistro.

This time, the fund also distributed money to the other businesses that were damaged by the arsons, as well as two people whose homes were damaged (one of those people was seriously burned). Some of the businesses suffered smoke and water damage. The businesses include:

• A to Z Tees (in the basement beneath Romio’s Pizza & Pasta)
• CC Teriyaki
• CPA Seattle
• Green Bean Coffeehouse
• Greenwood Academy of Hair
• Kalia Indian Cuisine
• Olive You
• Pho Tic Tac
• Romio’s Pizza & Pasta
• Rosewood Guitar
• Szechuan Bistro

More than $10,000 has been raised through individual donations and a wide range of fundraising activities, from staged readings by Taproot Theatre actors to numerous businesses with donation jars on their counters.

“The Board identified businesses and residents who were in greatest need based on a thorough report made by the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development,” according to a press release. Fundraising will continue until Jan. 31, 2010, then a final disbursement will be made in February, before closing out the GFRF.

Other fundraising efforts that are ongoing or coming up:

• Silent auction sponsored by members of Mars Hill Church on Dec. 18 at The Upper Crust Catering Banquet Room
• Karma by the Cup, 333 NW 85th St., is donating 5 percent of its profits this quarter to the GFRF.
• Peet’s Coffee & Tea in Interbay has chosen the GFRF as its Holiday non-profit.
• Q Cafe in Interbay, will donate 10 percent of their sales in January to the Green Bean.
• A fund has been set up at Viking Bank to assist Taproot Theatre’s recovery efforts. Donations can be made at any Viking Bank branch; ask for the ‘Fire Relief Fund.”
• You can donate to the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund at Chase Bank on the corner of Greenwood Ave. and 85th St.

Several local businesses continue to collect donations:

• Chocolati Café
• Mr. Gyros
• Neptune Coffee
• Terra Bella
• Gorditos
• Greenwood Academy
• Neighborhood Service Center
• Romio’s Pizza & Pasta
• Gary’s Games
• Baranof
• Great Clips
• Yen Wor Garden
• Wayward Coffee
• Sweet on You
• Phinney Neighborhood Association
• Naked City Taphouse

Other businesses interested in collecting money for the fund are asked to first contact the board at greenwoodfirerelief@gmail.com.

Members of the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund board include:

• Ann Bowden, Development Director, Phinney Neighborhood Association
• Steve Giliberto, President, Greenwood/Phinney Chamber of Commerce
• Cecily Kaplan, Director, Greenwood Senior Center
• Jim Lustig, Owner, Upper Crust Catering
• Cindy Potter, Co-Founder, Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors (GAIN)
• Trevor Stanley, President, Greenwood Community Council
• Kathleen Warren, Parsons Public Relations