A family is displaced after their attic catches fire in Tacoma
Update:
In a text message, Tacoma Fire Department spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd wrote that the fire in the 1300 block of East Fairbanks Street was started unintentionally.
“It started from wood chips used for smoking food,” she wrote. “The discarded wood chips’ disposal container fell over, the chips were still smoldering, they ignited the surrounding grassy area, and that exterior fire eventually ignited the home.”
Initial post:
A fire displaced one family in the 1300 block of East Fairbanks Street in Tacoma late Tuesday afternoon, fire officials say.
The Tacoma Fire Department received a call at 3:49 p.m. about gray smoke and flames that appeared from the backside of a residence, spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd told The News Tribune.
“Everyone got out OK, fortunately,” she said. Crews also rescued a cat from the house.
The fire looks like it started outside and then moved into the attic. Crews got the fire under control at 4:02 p.m., Shepherd said.
The cause of the fire is unknown. An investigator is on scene, she told The News Tribune at about 4:40 p.m.
The Fire Department reached out to the Red Cross to assist the family that was displaced, Shepherd said.
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 5:07 PM.
