At 6:58 p.m. Monday night, firefighters from South Pierce Fire and other agencies responded to a report of a large structure fire that destroyed a barn in McKenna in the 6200 block of state Route 702.
The fire started accidentally at a private residence with a pole barn where the owner was burning a refuse pile. According to South Pierce Fire Chief Todd Wernet, the fire spread to several large pallets of personal protective equipment (PPE) that were out of date.
The extent of the damage is still being determined as the incident is under investigation by the Pierce County Fire Marshal Office, but the pole barn was destroyed along with the PPE. The fire was contained to the building, but nearby buildings sustained minor damage because of radiant heat.
Fire crews took various measures to make sure the fire did not extend to other buildings or to grass. One firefighter had a minor exposure injury. No homeowners or residents were injured.
According to Wernet, the blaze was not extinguished Monday night and it continued to burn early Tuesday morning. As of Tuesday afternoon, a fire engine and two water tenders were still on scene, as well as an excavator to churn up the pile so it could be foamed. Up to 10 units from South Pierce, Graham and Central Pierce responded to the call.
“It was a quick response. We got the fire under control and protected all the exposures,” Wernet said.
