Firefighters respond to house fire on S. 25th Street.

Incident Date:  12/24/13
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location:  2218 S. 25th St.
Incident Type:  Residential Structure Fire

Narrative:  At 12:44 PM, Firefighters from stations 1,2,4,8,9,11 and 17 responded to a reported house fire.

The first arriving company found heavy smoke showing from the one story approximately 1,000 square foot residence. Crews attacked the fire with handlines, prevented the fire from spreading to a nearby house, ventilated the roof, and searched the structure to confirm no one was trapped inside.

Seven occupants, two dogs, and (with the help of a fire crew) a pet python were all able to escape the blaze without harm. There were no injuries to report. Relocation assistance was requested from the Red Cross for one adult and four children displaced in the fire.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

UPDATE:  A fire investigator determined that the cause of the fire was a child igniting combustibles with a lighter, resulting in an estimated $116,000 damage to the building and its contents.

Firefighters battle three unrelated blazes in a three hour span

Incident #1

Incident Location: 1648 E. 31 Street
Incident Type: Detached Garage Fire

Narrative:  At 5:44 PM, Firefighters from station 1,2,7,8,9,11 and 15 responded to a reported detached garage fire.

The first arriving company found heavy flames and smoke showing from a 1,392 square foot single story detached garage that had been converted into a “mother-in-law” apartment. Crews mounted an aggressive attack, protected nearby exposure structures, and confirmed that no one was trapped inside the structure. The Red Cross was requested to provide relocation services to 2 adults displaced in the incident and there were no injuries to report.

The cause of the fire was undetermined, resulting in an estimated $60,000 damage to the building and its contents.

Incident #2

Incident Location: 6841 S. Fife Street 
Incident Type: Residential Structure Fire

Narrative:  At 6:29 PM, Firefighters from station 1,2,4,8,9 and 15 responded to a reported house fire. The first arriving company found flames and smoke showing from the approximately 900 square foot one and a half story home. Crews attacked the fire with handlines, ventilated the roof and conducted search and rescue to confirm no one was trapped inside.

One person was transported to an area hospital for evaluation from the incident and the cause was determined to be intentionally set. Tacoma Police Department arrested one suspect and the fire resulted in an estimated $112,000 damage to the building and its contents.

Incident #3

Incident Location: 1440 Port of Tacoma Road
Incident Type: Commercial Structure Fire

Narrative:  At 8:29 PM, Firefighters from stations 1,2,9,11,and 12 responded to a reported commercial structure fire. The first arriving company found smoke showing from 450 square foot single story office building. Crews made entry into the structure and found fire in the wall and ceiling area. Crews quickly extinguished the fire, limiting the damage to that area of the building.

The cause of the fire was a malfunctioning HVAC unit resulting in an estimated $15,000 damage to the building and its contents.