Two homes, historic warehouse burn in separate two-alarm fires in Tacoma

Tacoma firefighters battled two, separate, two-alarm fires on Saturday and they say both were likely started by people illegally setting off fireworks.

The first fire broke out in a 125-year-old, vacant warehouse building in the Tacoma tideflats.

The fire in the historic building on E. D St. was first spotted by a crew of the fire department’s fireboat “Destiny.”

Investigators say this historic, 125-year-old warehouse ignited when someone set off illegal fireworks in the Tacoma tideflats Saturday. (Photo: Tacoma Fire Dept.)

Authorities say the fire spread to the old warehouse from fireworks, which are illegal in the city of Tacoma, even on the Fourth of July.

“There were some people setting off fireworks in the area who took off when the warehouse building caught on fire,” said Tacoma Fire Department Public Information Officer Chelsea Shepherd.

She says the fireworks landed in brush near the building and quickly spread to its wooden exterior.

Police have not reported whether they have identified the people seen in the area setting off the fireworks.

The warehouse building that caught fire was built in 1900, according to Shepherd.

There are no businesses that currently occupy the building.

But at one point it was retrofitted with a sprinkler system.

Heat from flames triggered that sprinkler system.

Investigators say that kept the fire from spreading to the interior of the building.

But it did spread through the inside of the exterior walls.

Firefighters open the wood exterior of the warehouse to reach hot spots. (Photo: Tacoma Fire Dept.)

Firefighters used special tools to rip the wooden siding off, to reach hot spots.

The second two-alarm fire broke out just a few hours later, around 11:00 p.m., in northeast Tacoma.

Flames broke out in one house in the Browns Point neighborhood, on 57th N.E., just off Browns Point Boulevard.

It then spread to a second home.

Fire from one home spread to another next to it in this two-alarm fire in Tacoma’s Browns Point neighborhood Saturday night. (Photo: Tacoma Fire Dept.)

“There was so much fire on the backside of the house, it was the proximity that caused the flames to reach the siding and roof of the second house,” Shepherd said.

Crews conducted a search and found everyone had evacuated safely.

It took crews an hour to put out the flames in the first home.

The other one was extinguished about 15 minutes after that.

The first house that caught fire sustained significant damage and will likely be a total loss.

(Photo: Tacoma Fire Dept.)

Crews from South King Fire arrived at the scene and assisted in putting out the fires.

No one was hurt.

The fire department says its preliminary investigation in the Browns Point fire also points to someone firing off illegal fireworks.

Officials also remind Tacoma residents, it is against the law to set them off inside city limits.

“Fireworks are illegal 24/7, 365 in Tacoma.  Fourth of July is no exception,” Shepherd said.  “In the city of Tacoma, it’s just too dense of a city and it causes too many problems.  They’re just too dangerous.”

And she reminds those who break the law, it can be costly, both financially and criminally.

“There’s a $513 fine you can face just for the fireworks alone and that doesn’t even address the criminal aspect of setting someone’s house on fire,” Shepherd said.