Tacoma church considered a total loss after Thursday night fire
A Tacoma church was destroyed by a fire late Thursday, according to the Fire Department.
Crews were called about 11:30 p.m. to the New Hope Baptist Church, 5715 Portland Ave. E., and found heavy flames coming from the building.
“The fire raced through the attic area,” fire spokesman Joe Meinecke said. “That combined with the heavy weight of a tile roof contributed to an early roof collapse. We were only able to fight it aggressively for 10 to 15 minutes before we had to pull our crews out and fight it defensively.”
Nobody was injured.
It took 29 firefighters about an hour to put out the fire. They remained on scene overnight to put out hot spots.
A cause has not been determined. Fire investigators were looking into that Friday morning.
The church is considered a total loss, Meinecke said.
New Hope’s pastor and deacon responded to the scene after being notified of the fire.
“Even though we have a fire right now, it’s not the end of the church,” the Rev. John Matthews told KOMO News. “We will still continue to meet.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 8:57 AM.
