2 Alarm Fire Burns Karshner Elementary

PUYALLUP, WA — Firefighters spent much of the day Sunday battling a large fire at Karshner Elementary in Puyallup.

Central Pierce Fire & Rescue first reported the fire just after noon. Footage from the scene shows black smoke from somewhere in the middle of the school building.

At one point, the building kicked up enough smoke that firefighters began to encourage nearby neighbors to stay indoors, and the Puyallup Police Department was called to divert drivers away from the area.

East Pierce Fire and Graham Fire were also both called as the blaze was upgraded to a second alarm.

After battling the fire for hours, at around 3:30 p.m. Central Pierce Fire & Rescue reported that crews had gained an upper hand and extinguished most of the fire.

Now investigators are working to find out what exactly caused the fire in the first place. The amount of damage the fire did to the elementary is also unknown.