TACOMA, Wash. — An early morning fire burned just a few yards from a Tacoma school and a church on East 72nd Street, just east of the intersection with Portland Avenue this morning.
The fire could have threatened several homes but was safely doused sometime after 4:15 a.m., according to a spokesperson with the Tacoma Fire Department.
A portable unit owned by Champions Centre Church was damaged by the fire, with extensive damage to the interior of the unit. The unit is part of an annex of units just south of the church. While the fire was contained, employees at Emerald Learning Center were concerned about the possibility of flames spreading.
Jerry Wagner spoke to KIRO 7′s crew on the scene after the fire, saying, “I heard school fire in Tacoma and I heard Emerald Learning... I thought, ‘Oh boy! Better get over there!’”
Wagner showed up for work at the learning center early Wednesday morning. He surveyed the damage to the unit, confirming that Champions Centre Church owns the building, and leases the school space and units that are part of the Annex. He says one of the units belonged to a motorcycle club known as the Christian Crusaders Motorcycle Club.
Wagner says sometimes homeless people have tried to camp in the area. He worries they may have lit a fire next to the unit that burned, theorizing, “It caught their clubhouse on fire and totally gutted it — We’re always telling people, ‘It’s a school, you can’t camp in our parking lot’.”
Tacoma Fire did not say what caused the fire, which is now under investigation. A school staff member from Emerald Learning Center told KIRO 7′s crew on the scene that classes were canceled Wednesday because of the fire and smoke.
Wagner, who says he has been at the learning center for years, says he’s seen the riders from Christian Crusaders at the unit and in the parking lot a fair amount in the time that he’s been there. He feels for them — since the unit holds a special meaning for the group. He says they store memorabilia, files, and even urns with remains of members who have passed there, “They do tons of good for the community. It’s just sad when you have a group of riders who’ve been together 20-30 years, you collect a lot of stuff, and it’s all gone…they’re going to be devastated.”