Fire crews in Tacoma are investigating an overnight blaze that tore through a construction building nestled between two apartment buildings. By morning, the shell of the construction building stood burned out, a stark reminder of how quickly the flames had taken hold before crews could bring them under control.
The fire did not stay contained to the building where it started. Damage spread to the neighboring structures, with the apartments on either side of the construction building left damaged as well. Residents in the area shared video showing firefighters hitting the flames with water during the night, with heavy clouds of smoke rising over the scene.
According to fire officials, it took crews about three hours to get the flames under control. During that stretch, Central Pierce and West Pierce Fire and Rescue also responded to other calls they had going on elsewhere in their neighborhood, stretching resources across the area while the Tacoma blaze was being fought.
The fire broke out on South Puget Sound Avenue, between thirty-eighth and forty-third streets. The location sits west of the mall, just off South Tacoma Way, in a stretch where the construction building stood close alongside occupied apartment buildings.
Although the fire is now out, the work at the site is not finished. Firefighters said they would remain on scene and keep watch over the area for the next twenty-four hours, making sure the smoldering debris does not spark back up and reignite once crews step back.
As of the morning, the exact cause of the fire had not been released. Officials have reached out to Tacoma police and fire for more information, and questions remain about how the blaze began and the full extent of the damage to the surrounding apartment buildings.