Tacoma, WA Warehouse

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TACOMA (AP) - A century-old warehouse near the Tacoma Dome
caught fire Wednesday, sending clouds of dense smoke over the
surrounding industrial area along Interstate 5.
By late afternoon, about 50 firefighters, eight engines and four
ladder trucks had responded.
There were concerns that the historic three-story brick building
could collapse, so fire crews took a defensive approach, working
the blaze from the outside. There were no reports of injuries.
The 27,000-square-foot warehouse does not house an active
business. Formerly known as Tacoma Cold Storage and Alpine
Distribution, it had been undergoing renovation, said a news
release from the city. Workers got out safely when the fire began
at midmorning Wednesday.
For the first few hours, the blaze emitted billowing clouds of
thick smoke visible across the city.
"It's definitely calmed down quite a bit," city spokeswoman
Chris Gleason said from the scene late Wednesday afternoon. But
extinguishing the blaze was expected to take a day or more.
At the height of the blaze, power was out to about 2,000 area
customers. Electrical service had been restored to all but five
businesses near the close of the business day, according to Tacoma
Utilities.
There was no initial word on the fire's cause, though there was
speculation that sawdust used as insulation may have contributed to
the intensity of the blaze.
The warehouse is part of a complex of 13 buildings erected
between 1900 and 1913 by Pacific Brewing and Malting Co. It's on
the state and federal historic registers, and has both iron and
steel frames with brick facing.
The structure is owned by Ducki and Kwi Hahn of Seattle, who
bought it in May for $400,000 from John Ritchie, also of Seattle,
the city said.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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TACOMA (AP) - Fire destroyed the roof and wooden interior of a
102-year-old brick warehouse near the Tacoma Dome, leaving the
historic building in ruins.
The fire sent billowing clouds of thick smoke over Interstate 5
and into the South End on Wednesday. About 50 firefighters, eight
engines and four ladder trucks responded to the two-alarm blaze.
"We were concerned about a collapse," said acting Tacoma
deputy fire chief Ron Stephens. "We've seen certain pieces of the
brick facing come off."
Firefighters took a defensive position. Three hoses on ladder
trucks each poured 1,000 gallons of water per minute through the
roof.
"It's simply too dangerous for us to send firefighters in,"
Capt. Jolene Davis said.
The roof partly collapsed but the warehouse remained standing
Wednesday night.
The building, vacant in recent years, once housed the Pacific
Brewery and later Alpine Cold Storage Co. Inc. It was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
"I don't know what happened," said co-owner Ducki Hahn as he
watched smoke pour from the building's roof. He bought the
warehouse in May for $400,000.
Workers inside the 56,560-square-foot warehouse Wednesday
morning were cutting metal plates with a power tool on the wooden
floor as part of a renovation project.
Firefighters suspect sparks might have ignited some of the
materials inside, though the official cause of the fire had not
been determined, said city spokeswoman Chris Gleason.
Fire inspectors were waiting until flames were doused and the
building stabilized to examine the blackened debris, Stephens said.
At the height of the blaze, power was out to about 2,000 area
customers.
The warehouse is part of a complex of 13 buildings erected
between 1900 and 1913 by Pacific Brewing and Malting Co. It's on
both the state and federal historic registers.




(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)