Evacuation Lifted Around 3 Alarm Puyallup Commercial Fire

PUYALLUP, WA — Police are asking residents of downtown Puyallup to remain indoors as firefighters try to mop up a 3 alarm fire at a cold storage building on 15th St. E. Investigators say the building may contain chemicals capable of producing toxic smoke, so residents who live nearby are asked to keep windows and doors shut for the foreseeable future.

The fire, which was first reported just after 5 a.m., forced a 1.1 mile radius zone of downtown Puyallup to evacuate until nearly 7 p.m. at night.

The evacuation radius can be seen below:

Police say they used reverse 911 calls in an attempt to alert residents living nearby. The evacuation may now be lifted, but anyone who lives or works in the zone is asked to stay tuned for future updates as the fire is still burning and active, and is expected to continue through the night.

Many roads are closed in the area and anyone who can leave is advised to steer as clear from the zone as possible while firefighters respond.

The fire was first reported around 5:22 a.m. when a passerby smelled smoke in the area and called 911. According to firefighters, the building contains more than a thousand pounds of anhydrous ammonia used for refrigeration — which could kick up toxic smoke if set ablaze. To keep the smoke from filtering through the community, firefighters say they let the blaze burn hot through much of the day, which helped push the smoke up and out of harm's way.

Firefighters will be on scene through the night and expect to continue battling the blaze Sunday as well. As for the smoke, it too will likely linger for some time.

This is a breaking news story, check back for future updates.