Authorities are investigating after a toddler died in a house fire in Tacoma on Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters were called around 1:40 p.m. to the 2000 block of East Columbia Avenue.
When crews arrived, they saw smoke coming from the second floor of a home. They found a 2-year-old on the second floor while searching the home, but it was too late.
No immediate details were made available on how the fire started.
“There is no doubt, there’s always, it’s a tragedy, really, is what it is. It’s very painful for those involved, and our hearts go out to them,” said Joe Meinecke with the Tacoma Fire Department.
The family at the home is being helped. The child’s name has not been released.
The Puyallup Tribal Police are handling the investigation because it happened on tribe trust property. The Tacoma police and the FBI are also assisting in the investigation.