TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma Fire crews battled a commercial structure fire that broke out Saturday afternoon in the 3100 block of S. Pine Street that could be seen for miles. No one was injured.
According to crews on the scene, heavy fire was showing throughout the entire roof of the building, which eventually collapsed.
“Upon initial assessment, it was clear the fire was significant so we began a defensive operation and upgraded to a second alarm,” said Tacoma Fire Public Information Officer Joe Meineke.
They remained on the scene Saturday evening to put out hot spots. Investigators have not been able to enter the building to determine the cause.
The fire department arrived before 1 p.m. on Saturday, but crews were unsure how long the fire had burned before they got there.
Zanna Blaine and her family were heading out on a shopping trip when it caught their attention.
“We saw a bunch of smoke so we decided to pull over and then fire erupted from the vents and then we called 911,” Blaine said.
Jessica Gregory was among the crowd who watched the firefighters battle the blaze.
“I heard it starting to collapse, I seen all the firefighters run away from the building and then everybody backed up,” Gregory said.
The fire department said the building was being used by Tomlinson Linen Services, but no one was working in the building when the fire broke out.
The 3100 block of South Pine Street, between South Tacoma Way and Center Street was shut down to traffic for most the afternoon.
No other structures were involved and no injuries were reported.
