Key Points
- Newly released 911 emergency audio captures the distress call of two window washers stranded 39 floors, or 532 feet, above the ground in high winds outside the Amazon Sonic building at 555 108th Avenue NE in Bellevue, Washington, on Friday evening, 6 November 2026.
- Specialized technical rope rescue teams from the Bellevue Fire Department and Redmond Fire Department lowered both workers safely to the ground after limited roof space prevented setting up a raising system.
- A Bellevue Police Department drone provided real-time aerial visuals of the stranded workers, pinpointing their exact elevation at 532 feet while crews worked in darkness and strong gusts.
- An individual inside the 39th floor opened a window and reached out to help steady the suspended scaffolding against the building’s west wall until firefighters arrived.
- Following the multi-agency operation, the Bellevue Fire Foundation launched a $100,000 fundraising campaign to purchase a dedicated drone for the Bellevue Fire Department.
Bellevue (Evening Wasgington News) November 14, 2026 – Newly released 911 emergency audio has detailed the urgent distress call from two window washers who became stranded 39 floors, or 532 feet, above the street in high winds outside the Amazon Sonic building in downtown Bellevue on Friday evening, 6 November 2026. Whipping winds battered the workers’ suspended platform against the west wall of the skyscraper at 555 108th Avenue NE during the evening commute, prompting a coordinated technical rope rescue by the Bellevue and Redmond fire departments. Supported by real-time aerial visuals from a Bellevue Police Department drone, rescue technicians lowered both workers safely to the ground with no serious injuries reported, prompting the Bellevue Fire Foundation to launch a $100,000 campaign for a dedicated fire department drone.
What Does the Released 911 Audio Reveal About the Stranded Bellevue Window Washers?
As reported by journalist Dan Griffin of FOX 13 Seattle, newly released 911 audio recorded the urgent pleas for assistance from two window washers left dangling 39 storeys above the ground outside the Amazon Sonic building at 555 108th Avenue NE in Bellevue, Washington. According to KOMO News, the emergency call was placed at approximately 4:45 p.m. PST on Friday, 6 November 2026, as evening commuters were heading home from work and strong gusts battered the workers against the building’s west wall near the upper floors.
During the initial moments of the emergency call, the 911 dispatcher struggled to hear the caller over the sound of rushing wind as the worker reported that they were trapped and required immediate rescue.
As reported by Dan Griffin of FOX 13 Seattle, the stranded worker told the dispatcher on the audio recording: “We’re window washers on, ugh, where the [expletive] are we? 555 Bellevue. Sonic. Amazon Sonic. We need to get rescued.”
Additional excerpts from the emergency call, reported by journalist Regan Gallo-Fenz of MyNorthwest, captured the worker explaining that the severe wind forced him to end the call so he could hold onto the rigging. “The wind is hitting us hard, and we are holding on, but we need to get rescued,” the window washer stated. “I got to go because I need both hands.” When asked by the dispatcher how high above the street they were suspended, the worker estimated their position at between 32 and 42 floors.
According to emergency dispatch radio traffic reported by Regan Gallo-Fenz of MyNorthwest, police drone telemetry confirmed the exact height of the stranded crew for responding firefighters: “There are two. I repeat, two operators on the window-washing setup, and PD says they are exactly 532 feet up from the ground.”
How Did Bystanders and Multi-Agency Rescue Teams Bring the Workers to Safety?
Before technical rescue crews reached the exterior rigging, an individual inside the 39th floor of the building intervened through an open window to help stabilise the suspended platform against the wind. As reported by Regan Gallo-Fenz of MyNorthwest, the witness described reaching out to hold the equipment steady: “That’s when I kind of like reached out and like started helping them. Just because I was on the inside, I had more grip and could kind of hold it against the building, and then they were also both holding against the building, and basically we just sat like that for a while.”
Firefighters and specialised technical rope rescue technicians from both the Bellevue Fire Department (BFD) and the Redmond Fire Department responded to the scene at 555 108th Avenue NE. According to reporting by KOMO News cited by MyNorthwest, fire officials determined that there was insufficient space on the skyscraper’s roof to construct a mechanical raising system to haul the workers upward. Instead, rope rescue technicians accessed the stranded pair from the building, secured them into rescue harnesses, and used a controlled rope system to lower both workers roughly 532 to 600 feet to ground level.
To support personnel operating in darkness and strong gusts hundreds of feet above the street, the Bellevue Police Department deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle to stream real-time aerial visuals of the platform and rigging to commanders on the ground. Video shared by the Redmond Fire Department and Redmond IAFF Local 2829 showed rescue teams working together to secure and retrieve the two workers.
In a statement posted on social media following the operation and reported by Downtown Bellevue Network, Redmond firefighters addressed the conditions faced during the call: “Working in high winds and darkness, crews navigated extremely challenging conditions to bring both individuals to safety. Rescues like these are a testament to the countless hours of training, preparation, and coordination that go into being ready when it matters most.”
The Bellevue Fire Department confirmed that both window washers were brought down safely and no serious injuries were reported. Officials have not publicly stated the mechanical or weather-related cause that initially disabled the window-washing platform.
Why Is the Bellevue Fire Foundation Raising $100,000 for a Dedicated Drone?
Following the multi-agency rescue operation—which relied on aerial visual support from the Bellevue Police Department’s drone unit—the non-profit Bellevue Fire Foundation announced a fundraising campaign to equip the Bellevue Fire Department with its own dedicated drone programme.
As reported by Dan Griffin of FOX 13 Seattle, the Bellevue Fire Foundation is seeking to raise $100,000 to purchase a dedicated unmanned aerial system specifically for fire department operations. Foundation officials noted that having dedicated aerial equipment immediately available to fire crews would provide real-time situational awareness and visual assessment during future high-angle rescues, structural fires, and complex emergencies.
Background of the Particular Development
The rescue took place at the Sonic building—also known as 555 Tower—located at 555 108th Avenue NE in downtown Bellevue, a commercial high-rise district east of Seattle that has undergone rapid vertical development over the past decade. Rising approximately 600 feet across 42 storeys, 555 Tower is one of the tallest office buildings in Bellevue and is leased by technology company Amazon. As downtown Bellevue’s skyline has expanded with high-rise office and residential towers exceeding 400 to 600 feet, regional fire agencies including the Bellevue and Redmond fire departments have maintained specialised high-angle technical rope rescue teams to respond to exterior maintenance, construction, and structural emergencies where standard aerial ladder trucks—typically limited to around 100 feet—cannot reach.
Prediction
How This Development Can Affect High-Rise Workers, Emergency Responders, and Bellevue Residents
The release of the 911 audio and the operational lessons from the 6 November high-angle rescue carry practical implications for several groups across Bellevue and the Eastside:
- High-Rise Maintenance and Window-Washing Crews: Commercial building managers and exterior maintenance contractors operating on downtown Bellevue skyscrapers face heightened scrutiny regarding wind-speed monitoring protocols, platform tie-back systems, and emergency communication procedures during autumn and winter storm systems in the Pacific Northwest.
- Bellevue Fire Department and Regional Rescue Personnel: If the Bellevue Fire Foundation reaches its $100,000 fundraising target, fire commanders will gain direct, immediate access to thermal and high-definition aerial telemetry without waiting for police drone deployment, reducing response assessment times during high-rise rescues, hazardous materials incidents, and brush fires.
- Downtown Bellevue Property Owners and Residents: Continued coordination between neighbouring municipal fire departments—such as Bellevue and Redmond—alongside upgraded aerial technology reinforces emergency response readiness for occupants and workers in Bellevue’s growing high-rise corridor.
