Firefighters in Tacoma faced a fiery challenge on the waterfront when a vacant building on the 1100 block of Dock Street was engulfed in flames early Sunday morning. According to The News Tribune, the blaze produced a visible column of smoke that could be seen for miles around 2 a.m. The building, notably featuring a mural inscribed with the word "Empathy," is now a shell of char and lost histories.
The Tacoma Fire Department (TFDF) adopted a strategic defense against the raging inferno, as reported by KIRO 7. Substantial flames and smoke were billowing from the structure when crews initially arrived at 1:26 a.m. The strategy involved the use of aerial master streams, and, ground monitors to contain and extinguish the flames. During the operation, Dock Street was temporarily closed in both directions to facilitate the firefighting efforts.
By 3:23 a.m., the TFD had managed to get a hold of the majority of the fire, rendering the commercial building a total loss. Even as the flames subsided, firefighters stayed vigilant throughout the night, keeping watch over stubborn hot spots. As KOMO News noted, despite the enormity of the fire, there were no injuries reported.
What led to the intense blaze remains a mystery under active investigation. The Tacoma Fire Department has indicated that efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, "Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the night to monitor hot spots, and will try to determine a cause during daylight hours," a social media update stated, as seen in a report by The News Tribune. The community now waits, hopeful that the light of day will bring clarity to what sparked the destructive event on Dock Street.
