Overnight Fire Razes Through Tacoma Church, Leaves Heavy Damage
By Zuri Anderson
July 23, 2021
Firefighters were called out to a Tacoma church overnight due to a furious blaze tearing through the building, KOMO reports.
Crews arrived at New Hope Baptist Church in the 5700 blk of East Portland Avenue around 11:45 p.m. Thursday (July 22). Firefighters found smoke and flames shooting from the roof of the church, which ended up partially collapsing, according to reporters.
They were able to extinguish the flames within an hour. Officials said the blaze may have started on the outside of the church and spread to the attic. No one was hurt in the incident, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Crews have the fire knocked down and are working on the hot spots. There are no injuries to report at this time. pic.twitter.com/2KiCjycLRq
— Tacoma Fire (@TacomaFire) July 23, 2021
Reporters said Rev. John Matthews arrived at the scene while the fire was still burning.
"Even though we have a fire right now, it’s not the end of the church," he told KOMO. "We will still continue to meet."
The community has already saw a devastating fire earlier this year. A historic building that's been around for over 100 years was decimated by flames, and neighbors believe fireworks started it.
Recently in another part of Washington, a young girl had to escape through a bedroom window due to a mobile home fire.