The City of Puyallup and East Pierce Interlocal Coalition Emergency Management have released more footage from the cold storage facility fire that forced a major evacuation in downtown last fall.
On Aug. 21, 2021, Puyallup Cold Storage caught fire at 240 15th St SE. The hazardous chemicals used in the facility were at risk of exploding, so a 1.1 mile radius zone of downtown Puyallup was evacuated for several hours.
The fire was first reported around 5:22 a.m. when a passerby smelled smoke in the area and called 911. According to firefighters, the building contains more than a thousand pounds of anhydrous ammonia used for refrigeration — which could kick up toxic smoke if set ablaze. To keep the smoke from filtering through the community, firefighters say they let the blaze burn hot through much of the day, which helped push the smoke up and out of harm's way.