Lakewood residents urged to shut windows as 'toxic' smoke fills the air from industrial fire

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - A fire at a Lakewood industrial building closed SR-512 during the Thursday morning commute and sent toxic smoke into the air. 

A West Pierce Fire & Rescue spokesperson said the Specialty Products, Inc. (SPI) building at 2310 104th Street S. caught fire with hazardous materials inside early Thursday morning. The company sprays a "polyurethane coating" that is toxic when it burns. 

Photo courtesy West Pierce Fire

As of 8:45 a.m., firefighters were in a "defensive" stance and were having a hard time fighting the fire from outside the building. They had the fire under control by 10:30 a.m. 

West Pierce Fire initially had evacuation orders in place for some area residents, but those have since been downgraded to shelter-in-place if you're within 1,000 feet of the fire. Stay inside and close your doors and windows.

This is a developing story.