VIDEO/PHOTOS: Firefighters responded to a fire in a commercial building Monday morning in Pierce County.
Crews battled what they called a two-alarm fire in the Watson Signature Event Center at 11521 Bridgeport Way SW. The event center is next to an apartment complex where about a dozen people live.
“The smoke got thicker and a lot stronger, and that's when they came and knocked on the door and said there was a fire, so then we evacuated at that point,” said Rhonda Gallert, one of the evacuees. “I’m just overwhelmed. You see this happen on the TV all the time, but you never expect it to hit home at your doorstep."
The fire began shortly before midnight Monday, according to West Pierce Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Hallie McCurdy.