Nearly 50 Pierce County, WA businesses shut down following fire safety inspections
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - Nearly 50 businesses have been shut down and red-tagged in Pierce County and many of them were massage parlors.
Timeline:
On Tuesday, the Fire Marshal targeted locations for safety violations.
FOX 13 News tracked the teams of investigators and captured the moment those locations were closed.
Pierce County officials close up businesses in violation of fire regulations
The Pierce County Fire Marshal said he has seen bootlegged electrical wiring and a variety of unsafe locks on doors that could get someone killed. He noted that is exactly what he is trying to prevent.
What they're saying:
"The situations that we find in these businesses, they're ripe for a fire," said Pierce County Fire Marshal Ken Rice.
Instead of red neon signs, businesses like one local massage parlor officials visited now have a red tag on display, capturing the attention of residents like Rick Gosney.
"To each their own, but it's about time," Gosney said.
Rick Gosney
Rice said nearly 50 businesses in unincorporated Pierce County have to close. Many are along Pacific Avenue, but there are others on Canyon Road East and Meridian Avenue East.
"We found a lot of locking devices on the doors, electrical issues. Just a lot of life safety violations," Rice explained. "So, with those, and then you add in people living in there, and we don't know they're there, it's very problematic."
Six teams of fire investigators and code enforcement officers notified the businesses by going door to door.
Pierce County officials close up businesses in violation of fire regulations
"We printed out a lot of material. We're able to give it to some folks, so if they are displaced, if they were using it as a lodging, they'll have other resources and safe places to stay," said Rice.
Rice told FOX 13 News officials tallied 11 fire-related deaths last year and have counted three so far this year. He said many of them were the result of code violations.
Neighbors hope this action will make a difference.
"Bottom line is money," said a resident identified as Al. "If it's making money and somebody's getting a part of it, it's not going to go away."
Pierce County officials close up businesses in violation of fire regulations
FOX 13 News tried to talk with a number of people coming out of these businesses. They either declined or said they didn't know what was going on.
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