A teenage boy lost a finger late Monday night after a homemade explosive blew up in his hand at the West Queen Anne Playfield, according to the Seattle Fire Department. The boy told SFD officials that he was hanging out in the park with other teens at approximately 11:30 p.m., when he found the explosive on the ground. From the SFD:

The boy says he picked the up device and it exploded, causing the severe injuries to the teenager. The force of the explosion knocked the teen out, and caused him to lose one of his fingers. The teen also had his hair singed and his leg burned.

Medics responded and immediately transported the teenager to Harborview Medical Center. At the time he was in stable condition, breathing, conscious and talking.

SFD crews say they found several teenagers in the Queen Anne Playfield setting off fireworks, and that residual fireworks were scattered around the park, as was a blown up trash can. The Seattle Police Department is currently investigating the case. From the SFD:

Fireworks are illegal in the city of Seattle. Every year the fire department responds to dozens of injuries and fires caused by these illegal items. These injuries and fires can be prevented.

According to KIRO TV, the teen was 18 years old, and paramedics were unable to locate the finger.

Two suspects driving a stolen vehicle hit a 9-year-old girl on Dexter Avenue and Denny Way in a hit and run collision yesterday, Monday, May 30.

At approximately 5:08 p.m. Monday a Seattle Police Department officer on patrol near 5th Avenue and Broad Street observed a green 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser speeding through the area, according to the SPD Blotter report.

The officer began following the suspect while running the vehicle’s license plate, verifying that the suspect vehicle had in fact been stolen. The officer then called in for additional backup to help him conduct a high-risk traffic stop. The officer attempted to pull over the suspect in the 200 block of Blanchard Street, at which point the suspect failed to yield and began disregarding traffic control signals. At this point a SPD supervisor ordered the pursuit to be terminated. From the SPD Blotter:

Some time later the officer called out over his police radio that the suspect had run over a child near the intersection of Dexter Avenue and Denny Way.

The officer stopped to render assistance to the nine-year-old girl and called for medics. SFD medics responded to the scene and subsequently transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect entered the intersection of Dexter Avenue and Denny Way at speed from the south. The suspect attempted to turn east onto Denny Way however, he drove across the double-yellow centerline and both westbound traffic lanes of Denny Way and onto the north side sidewalk of Denny Way. The suspect struck a tree and then struck a nine-year-old girl who was walking down the sidewalk with her mother.

The suspect failed to stop and render aid and continued driving into Denny Park. The suspect drove through a grassy area of the park and back out onto the street at the east end of the park, continuing in an unknown direction.

SPD officers conducted an area search, locating the suspect vehicle, which was unoccupied at the time, near Mercer Street and Yale Avenue. The vehicle was impounded and taken in for examination by SPD Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) detectives. Neither the suspect nor front-seat passenger, both believed to be males, were found. No other people or vehicles were involved in the collision.

SPD’s Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives are continuing an active investigation and are asking anyone with information about this incident, or knowledge of the identity or whereabouts of the suspect and/or passenger, to call into SPD and refer to this incident. SPD says anonymous tips are welcome.

A car heading northbound on Aurora Ave. flipped in the pouring rain on Saturday night, coming to rest on its side right up against a condo building.

The accident happened on the approach to the bridge, at Crockett St. Despite the heavily-damaged vehicle, a firefighter on scene tells us there were no serious injuries. The vehicle snapped a water line for the condo.

This stretch of Aurora is always a speedway — in fact, we watched as some cars came up on the accident scene unexpectedly. A good reminder to drive safely.

Seattle Fire investigators have determined that Wednesday’s late-night fire under the south end of the Ballard Bridge was caused by a transient cooking fire.

Firefighters were called out just before 11:30 p.m. after a report of smoke coming from underneath the bridge. When crews arrived on scene, they found a fire underneath the bridge in a storage yard. Four small boats, a truck and wooden pallets were destroyed before the fire was extinguished about 20 minutes later. Because of the location of the fire, the bridge sustained soot and fire damage. According to Seattle Fire, Seattle Department of Transportation inspectors have inspected the integrity of the structure.

Investigators have ruled the fire as accidental and damage is estimated at $100,000.

Last night Major fire burns under Ballard Bridge

We know that many Ballard, Queen Anne and Magnolia families are mourning the three young men killed in the car accident in Ballard early Sunday morning. We wanted to share the latest coverage from our sister site My Ballard. The memorial is growing at the scene of the fatal car accident

Flowers, notes and photos are stacked around the Taco Time pole, the scene of the crash that killed 2008 Ballard High School graduates Spenser Millard, Kellen Jones and Mike Turner. While community members, teachers, students remember the three young men, the teenage girl involved in Sunday’s crash remains in the Harborview Medical Center ICU in critical condition.

Photo courtesy KING 5 News.

Washington state 36th District representative and Queen Anne resident Reuven Carlyle wrote this about the tragedy on his blog.

Our heart goes out to the families who weep in pain and who need family, friends and community support now more than ever in their lives…As the father of four young children, I can hardly contain my grief and terrible discomfort at this tragedy. My heart goes out to the families and to our community during this difficult time. To lose a child raises one of the great moral questions in all of life: Dear Lord, why?

If you have a memory or encouraging word to share, My Ballard has set up an online memorial for the three killed in Sunday’s tragic accident.

A rollover crash closed the southbound lanes of the Aurora Bridge on the Fremont side at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night.

Fremont Universe was on the scene and posted a story here.