Water, debris from building fire streaming through downtown Tacoma. City crews on scene
Those traveling in downtown Tacoma on Tuesday afternoon might encounter streams of water and debris running eastward down South 9th Street.
The water is coming from Fawcett Avenue, where the Tacoma Fire Department has been dousing the charred remains of a commercial building from a ladder truck since Tuesday morning. A fire was reported at the structure, which is supposed to be vacant, at 6 a.m. By noon, at least four fire trucks, an ambulance and other fire department vehicles were at the scene.
Water continued rolling down from Fawcett Avenue and 9th Street. One worker was busy mopping heaps of black debris onto the sidewalk at 9th and Broadway. Portions of sidewalks and crosswalks near Market Street were submerged.
It wasn’t clear when the water rolling down 9th Street would subside. Mark Hosley with the city’s Environmental Services department said crews were busy clearing debris from the water, as well as checking storm drains. He said he and his team were overwhelmed trying to remove debris like drywall from the water.
“Cleanup is gonna be the big part,” Hosley said.
Fawcett Avenue was expected to remain closed through early afternoon, according to Tacoma Police Department. Tacoma Avenue was closed off in the morning but reopened.
