1 dead, 1 hurt after explosion, fire at Tacoma gun range

TACOMA, Wash. - A fire at a gun range in Tacoma left one person dead and another injured on Sunday.

  (Tacoma Fire Department)

What we know:

The fire broke out at Bull's Eye Indoor Range, which was open, in the 400 block of Puyallup Avenue shortly after 6:00 p.m., according to the Tacoma Fire Department.

Witnesses reported hearing an explosion before the fire erupted, causing ammunition to pop from the heat.

Tacoma Fire Department crews were called to the scene and declared it a two-alarm fire. Firefighters entered the building to search for any other people and got the fire under control.

One person was found dead, and another person was injured and taken to a nearby hospital. It's unclear how seriously they were hurt.

What we don't know:

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Tacoma Fire Department, while the Tacoma Police Department is looking into the details surrounding the person who died.

On Monday morning, officials with Tacoma fire said the fire started in a classroom area, where live ammo and electrical equipment was stored. The exact cause of the fire is still not known and appears to be unintentional. 

(Tacoma Fire Department)

On Monday, Bull's Eye Indoor Range posted their own uptake on social media. It read: 

"...Bull’s Eye is currently not in a state to operate safely, but we plan to rebuild and reopen. All customer firearms are accounted for and safe, some may have sustained some light damage by smoke, but should be repairable with some cleaning.

Being that we are unable to operate, we are unable to accommodate the transfer of any firearms currently pending background check, we understand that this may be frustrating but please extend us some courtesy in these hard times. 

When we are operational again, anyone who is unable to pick up their firearm due to an expired background check will have their new background check fees taken care of, on us.

We do not currently have an estimated time of reopening but will keep you all posted.

For anyone on range at the time of the fire your ID’s are safe and you may come claim them during our normal business hours, as staff will be on site 24/7 during the repairs.

For anyone who has questions about their business with Bull’s Eye, past or future, this account will be monitored going forward."

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