VIDEO/PHOTOS: A historic building in Tacoma is just a pile of rubble after a fire ripped through the building on the 4th of July.
It happened along Tacoma Avenue South near 15th Street as fireworks were erupting in the downtown neighborhood.
The 20,000 square foot building was destroyed.
It took heavy equipment Monday to bring down what remained of what was once Coast House Materials – a building supplies company that served the community for more than a century. “We are going to miss it terribly,” said Connie McHugh whose family owned the business.
Coast House Materials opened in 1895 by McHugh’s grandfather and remained in business until 2001.
They family sold the building just three years ago, but when McHugh got the call about the fire last night she came dashing to the scene.
“It was shocking, but yet I was always worried about the 4th of July,” she said.