Pierce County closes 45 spas, massage businesses in one day. Here’s why
Pierce County temporarily shuttered 45 spas, massage businesses and wellness clinics Tuesday that posed immediate fire-safety risks. Fire marshal Ken Rice called the operation the largest fire-code enforcement action in recent memory.
Six teams made up of deputy fire marshals, code-enforcement officers and permitting technicians spent the morning and early afternoon inspecting about two dozen businesses on Pacific Avenue from Parkland through Spanaway down to Elk Plain.
Enforcement officers also temporarily closed spas and massage parlors on Meridian south of Puyallup through South Hill and down to Graham. Officers gave businesses stop-work orders and bright red no-trespassing signs. A handful of other spas were closed near the Midland and Frederickson areas.
“This effort is about protecting people, including those who work in these businesses, those who visit them, and the broader community,” Rice said in a written statement. “When buildings are not used safely, it puts real people at risk. Our job is to make sure those spaces are safe and to help bring them back into compliance as quickly as possible.”
The businesses can reopen if they correct their safety violations and verify their code compliance, according to the Fire Prevention Bureau.
Inspectors discovered businesses with obstructed emergency exits, unpermitted work such as illegal wiring and plumbing, emergency-lighting systems that were inadequate or not working and instances where people were living in buildings that weren’t authorized as dwelling units.
Rice said one business had six people living inside.
“When you have people living in a commercial business it’s really, really troublesome,” Rice said in a phone call. “Because we don’t know they’re there in the middle of the night if fire has to respond. It’s not safe. It’s not designed to be a dwelling unit.”
The enforcement operation was the result of months of preparation across multiple county departments, according to Rice. He said it was prompted by complaints that started last year from adjoining businesses reporting people coming and going at all hours, cooking in the buildings and living inside them.
Rice said everyone was cooperative during the operation. The Sheriff’s Office was not called to assist. According to the Fire Prevention Bureau, the enforcement action was not related to criminal investigations. Many property owners are already working with the county’s Development Services staff to get necessary permits and bring their businesses into compliance.
There were 11 fire-related fatalities in Pierce County last year, according to Rice. He said 95 percent of the deaths were due to code violations. It’s unclear how many of the fatal fires occurred at residences versus businesses.
“We’re going to make sure people are safe,” Rice said. “I don’t want any more people dying in my county, man. It’s horrible.”
