Crews looking into cause of fire that ripped through Ft. Steilacoom Park

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Crews are on site investigating the cause of Wednesday’s massive fire at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood.

The fire went up Wednesday afternoon and quickly turned to a 3-alarm blaze. At the time, it burned dangerously close to several homes in the area. That had Department of Natural Resources helicopters called in to scoop up water in a nearby lake and dump it onto the flames.

Residents were asked to evacuated for hours until the advisory was lifted around 5 p.m.

When KIRO 7 crews arrived at the scene, many residents we talked with said they got calls from loved ones checking on them. One couple did stay but said they were ready to leave at a moment’s notice if the fire had spread to their home.

“I packed up a bug bag,” Jessica Bowen told us. “I got two cats inside -- I got them in one room so if I had to grab them I could.”

A day later, large swathes of the historic park have been reduced to blackened dirt. Residents are being told to avoid the burned area while fire crews conduct their investigation. The parts of the park that were untouched by the fire remain open.

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