MYNORTHWEST NEWS

One dead in Tacoma apartment fire near Silas High School

Apr 3, 2026, 9:17 AM | Updated: 10:15 am

One person died in a fire that broke out Friday morning at an apartment complex in Tacoma.

“The fire originated in that third-floor unit, but, because it was burning in the floor, kind of in between units, it impacted the floor underneath it as well,” Chelsea Shephard, the public information officer with Tacoma Fire, said at the scene.

The fire, now extinguished, happened on Pearl Street near Silas High School. The building was evacuated.

“I was asleep, and then I heard the firefighters knocking on the door, shouting, ‘Fire!'” Catherine, who lives two floors down from the unit that caught fire, told KIRO Newsradio. “I could smell the smoke from inside, but nothing was really apparent on the outside, until a bit later, when smoke started coming out of the top floor.”

Crews are still on scene watching for hot spots. An investigation into what caused the fire is now underway.

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One dead in Tacoma apartment fire near Silas High School