Firefighters tackle structural fire in downtown Tacoma — smoke visible for miles

Tacoma firefighters responded Sunday night to a large structure fire in the downtown area, in the 1600 block of Tacoma Avenue South.

Smoke from the scene wafted high into the air, visible from Gig Harbor and Vashon Island.

Fire Department spokesman Joe Meinecke said the building appeared to be vacant.

“We’re still defensive on it,” he said. “A bunch of it’s collapsed. We don’t have any word if anybody was inside or not.”

Shortly before 9 p.m., firefighters reported they were making progress extinguishing the blaze, though portions of the structure had collapsed. The department’s Twitter feed again stated that no injuries had been reported, while urging residents to take precautions against smoke wafting north.

“If impacted by smoke conditions, keep your doors and windows closed and shelter place.”

This story will be updated.

This story was originally published July 4, 2021 at 8:56 PM.