Auburn Heritage Building Fire Leaves 39 Homeless

AUBURN, WA - A three-alarm fire devastated a historic downtown Auburn building Tuesday evening, leaving 39 low-income residents homeless and several businesses destroyed. Firefighters have not determined an exact cause, but building residents reported seeing flames emanating from a dryer before the building was engulfed.

As bad as the fire was, only one non-ambulatory person had to be rescued from the building. One person was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. The Red Cross has set up a shelter for the displaced residents at Cascade Middle School.

The fire first broke out in the Heritage Building around 3 p.m. Tuesday. The nearly 100-year-old building did not have a sprinkler system.

Fire crews from around the region traveled to Auburn to help fight the fire, including firefighters from Renton, Kent, and Skyway.

The Heritage Building fire was the first of two massive fires that broke out over the last 24 hours. Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, Pierce and King County firefighters put out a blaze at the Alder Ridge Senior Apartments in Milton. About 150 residents were displaced, and the fire wasn't out until close to midnight.

Image courtesy Valley Fire and Rescue