Fire sweeps through Auburn's Heritage Building; officials believe everyone OK

AUBURN, Wash. -- Firefighters battled a large, three-alarm blaze in the Heritage Building at 134 East Main Street in Auburn Tuesday afternoon, but officials said they believed all occupants were out and safe.

Valley Regional Fire's Kelly Hawks declined to call the building a total loss, but said firefighters were pulled out of the building out of fear that the roof would collapse. At that point, while continuing to try to extinguish the fire, efforts were put into defending surrounding buildings from the flames.

The 96-year-old Heritage Building had businesses on the ground floor and apartment units above. A spokeswoman for MS Property Management, which rents apartments in the building, says there are more than 35 units in the building.

Valley Regional Fire said units were dispatched at 2:53 p.m. to respond to the blaze. The call first came in as a dryer fire, officials said.











Authorities closed off Main Street from Auburn Avenue to 2nd Street.





Crews from Valley Regional Fire Authority, Valley Fire, Puget Sound Fire, South King Fire, Renton Fire, Tukwila Fire and Burien Fire were all on hand to fight the blaze.