Top stories: Tacoma fire kills 1, slain teen’s estate sues for wrongful death

Pierce County residents are tracking a deadly Tacoma apartment fire, a wrongful death lawsuit tied to a 2025 elevator shooting and major changes coming to local roads and retail. Here’s a quick look at the top stories making news Wednesday.

• One person died after a fire broke out late Tuesday in the 200 block of North Yakima Avenue, with crews responding around 11:47 p.m. and containing the flames to a single Tacoma apartment unit. All other occupants escaped safely, and a preliminary investigation points to an electrical failure in the living room as the likely cause, according to Tacoma Fire spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd.
• The estate of 18-year-old Messiah Washington, who was shot 21 times in a Tacoma apartment elevator on Feb. 22, 2025, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Tacoma Housing Authority in Pierce County Superior Court. Four teenagers were charged in Washington’s death — two with murder and two with attempted robbery — and the lawsuit alleges the Housing Hilltop complex had a history of shots fired, armed robberies and assaults that made further criminal acts foreseeable.
• A newly configured intersection at State Route 509 and Alexander Avenue East in Tacoma will open Monday, June 1, following overnight road closures and detours that drivers should plan around, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced. The work is part of the SR 167 and SR 509 Completion Projects, which carry a combined price tag of about $2.83 billion and are expected to wrap up by 2030, aiming to ease congestion for freight trucks near the Port of Tacoma.
• Planet Fitness is opening a new gym at 4102 S. Meridian in Puyallup, with the company hoping to welcome members before the end of the year. The location is in a commercial complex alongside Best Buy, Boot Barn, Men’s Warehouse and Ross Dress for Less and joins an existing Planet Fitness on River Road in Puyallup.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by senior editor Adam Lynn. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.