LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Investigators are searching for the cause of an apartment fire in Lakewood that displaced dozens of people and several pets, according to West Pierce Fire & Rescue.
The agency responded Wednesday to a complex on the 5400 block of 110th Street, fighting flames in several units. Neighbors say they woke up around 5:30 am to the sounds of alarms and banging on doors, with people telling them to get out.
Clara Bottero says she wasn't sure why someone was pounding on her door and didn't want to leave at first, and recommends everyone yell "fire" in a situation like this. When she got outside, she faced the fire firsthand.
"Embers, I was over there and they're going past my place, it was fully engaged, the fire department got here," Bottero said.
Neighbor Liz Clark says fortunately, her apartment was not impacted, but she feels for the residents who dealt with damage. She says everyone came together to help each other out.
"The community was helping out, making sure everyone had water, a gentleman had dog food, he was running to his apartment, grabbing food, water for the dog, everyone came together and made sure everyone was okay and showed genuine concern about what happened," Clark said.
According to West Pierce Fire and Rescue, 23 adults, 7 children and 5 pets were impacted. The Red Cross is assisting.
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