Tacoma firefighters battling heavy smoke, flames at Pacific Avenue furniture store

A two-alarm fire broke out Tuesday morning in a furniture store on Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, sending dark clouds of smoke into the South End while firefighters battled the flames.

Tacoma Fire Department was called at about 8:11 a.m. to the store at 8219 Pacific Ave. Spokesperson Joe Meinecke said the first crews to arrive found heavy smoke pouring from the roof vents of a single-story, commercial building. He said firefighters went inside to put it out, but conditions forced them to withdraw.

Pacific Avenue was closed in both directions from South 82nd to 84th streets. Tacoma Police Department was on the scene.

Ladder trucks doused the building with water from above, Meinecke said. More than 50 firefighters were working the incident. He said crews were also protecting several homes behind the store that were at risk of burning.

By the time the fire was under control at about 10:30 a.m., little was left of the building that housed Buddy’s Home Furnishings. Meinecke said it was a total loss, and only two-and-a-half walls remained standing. He expected crews would be at the store for most of the day. He said people should avoid the area.

“We’re just continuing to, from our perspective, take a cautious approach,” Meinecke said.

No injuries have been reported, but Meinecke said he didn’t know whether the building was occupied when the fire began. According to the business’s website, the store opens at 9 a.m. It’s unclear how the fire started.

A fire investigator was called to the scene. Meinecke said that person wouldn’t be able to do much while firefighters were still putting out hot spots, so a cause for the fire may not be determined before the day is out.