Toxic Smoke, Evacuations After Lakewood Commercial Fire

LAKEWOOD, WA — A commercial fire burning hazardous materials forced evacuations Thursday morning, as first responders struggled to combat a cloud of potentially toxic smoke.

According to West Pierce Fire, firefighters were first alerted around 6:40 a.m. to a commercial building on fire at 2310 104th St S, in Lakewood, just north of SR 512.

Firefighters were warned that the building contained hazardous materials, which had caught fire, kicking up a cloud of toxic smoke.

To secure the area, the sheriff's department, and other first responders began to evacuate everyone within half a mile of the burning building. The Pierce County Department of Emergency Management says they sent evacuation alerts to more than 1,185 landlines and mobile phones enrolled in their PCALERT program.

Ultimately, the fire was brought under control some time before 10:30 a.m., but the evacuations lingered until just before 1 p.m., when firefighters cleared resdients to return to their homes.

SR 512 was also briefly closed in both directions, it has since been reopened but first responders warn they may close other roads in the area as they continue cleaning up —now that the immediate threat of the fire has been resolved, they're trying to figure out how to safely remove the burned hazardous materials. The EPA and Washington State Department of Ecology are both on scene to help firefighters determine the best course of action.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.