Wedge neighborhood apartment fire causes $75K in damage

Tacoma fire fighters responded early Friday morning to a report of a house fire in the 1600 block of Division Avenue in Tacoma.

According to Tacoma Fire spokesperson Joe Meinecke, crews arrived to find a first floor apartment fully charged with smoke and fire. Crews worked swiftly to attack the fire that had burned through the floor into the basement of the building, ventilate the smoke from the area, and alert and evacuate occupants in neighboring units. The fire was contained to the apartment of origin and there were no injuries to report.

The vacant apartment was under remodel and the cause of the fire was determined to be spontaneous combustion of oily rags left in a metal can. The fire resulted in an estimated $75,000 damage to the building and its contents.

Tacoma fire fighters responded early Friday morning to a report of a house fire in the 1600 block of Division Avenue in Tacoma. (PHOTO COURTESY TACOMA FIRE DEPARTMENT)