Christmas Morning Commercial Fire

Tour Commander, 509.625.7100

Monday, January 4, 2021 at 9:39 a.m.

Christmas morning at 05:05 AM, a first alarm was dispatched to North Hough Street and East Trent Avenue for a 911 report of a commercial building on fire. The first company arrived within six minutes and found a large automotive repair shop with an adjoined office building with its roofline heavily involved in fire.

Access to the building was made exceptionally difficult due to its location and narrow driveway. Access from other streets and alleyways were made possible by forcing fences and gates to allow ladder companies and engines to access the property and take tactical advantage of defensive positions. Despite the initial companies' aggressive actions, the incident commander was forced to change strategy to defensive operations early in the incident due to weakening structural members in the roof over the shop. Additionally, access to the fire was extraordinarily challenging because of the construction type and numerous layers of construction materials separating the roof sections, which prohibited quick access into void spaces.

At one point in the incident, hose lines and elevated streams were flowing over 2,500 gallons-a-minute to suppress the fire. The fire was declared under control two-hours into the incident. Fire Department resources will remain on-site for several hours to complete salvage work and ensure the fire remains extinguished. 

Fire investigators are currently on-scene, and the incident remains under investigation.