Flames and billowing smoke poured from a storage facility in University Place early Friday morning as fire crews battled a blaze that consumed the building at the Prime Storage facility.
West Pierce Fire & Rescue arrived at the 2400 block of 70th Avenue West around 3:30 a.m. to find the structure already engulfed.
Fire officials closed both 70th Avenue and 24th Street to traffic as crews worked to extinguish the fire.
No injuries were reported, and West Pierce Fire & Rescue said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The fire department posted on X that the fire was under control around 5:45 a.m. and that the building is a total loss.
The 3:30 a.m. timing means the fire erupted in the middle of the night when the storage facility would have been empty of customers and likely had minimal staff, if any. Most storage facilities operate with keypad access rather than on-site personnel during overnight hours.
The flames and smoke already pouring from the building when crews arrived suggests the fire had been burning for some time before being detected and reported. Storage facilities without constant monitoring can burn unnoticed until the blaze grows large enough that flames or smoke become visible from outside.
The two-hour battle from 3:30 a.m. arrival to 5:45 a.m. control demonstrates the fire’s intensity and the challenges of fighting blazes in buildings packed with stored items.
Storage units contain diverse materials creating unpredictable fire behaviour: furniture, clothing, electronics, chemicals, batteries, propane tanks, paint, and other flammable substances people store. These materials fuel fires and create toxic smoke that complicates firefighting efforts.
The building being declared a total loss means the structure sustained damage so severe that repair isn’t economically feasible. The roof likely collapsed, walls compromised, and whatever remained standing is too unsafe and damaged to salvage.
The road closures on both 70th Avenue and 24th Street suggest firefighters needed space for apparatus positioning, water supply operations, and safety zones. Closing intersecting roads prevents traffic from interfering with emergency operations.
The lack of injuries indicates no one was trapped inside and firefighters didn’t suffer casualties whilst battling the blaze. Storage facility fires typically don’t threaten lives the way residential or hotel fires do because the buildings aren’t occupied overnight.
The cause remaining under investigation means fire marshals will examine the origin point, potential ignition sources, and whether the fire was accidental or intentional. Storage facility fires can result from electrical failures, arson, or items stored improperly.
The customers who rented units at this Prime Storage location now face the loss of everything they stored there. Family heirlooms, business inventory, furniture, documents, and possessions accumulated over lifetimes likely turned to ash.
