Submitted by City of Tumwater
Tumwater Fire Department was dispatched at 9:29 p.m., June 6, 2020, to investigate reports of smoke in the area of the Old Brewhouse Tower, the original Olympia Brewery. There were multiple calls from occupants in vehicles on I-5 who observed light smoke and a flow from inside the Tower.
At 9:34 p.m. Tumwater Fire confirmed a large volume of smoke in the area around the Old Brewery complex on the north side of Custer Way SW, and upgraded the call to a structure fire.
The first arriving units reported two small fires on two separate floors inside the Brewhouse Tower and a fire in an adjacent building. Fire department crews operated from the exterior of the building and drafted water from Deschutes River. A ladder apparatus was used to reach the upper floors of the Tower. The fires were extinguished at 12:47 a.m., June 7, 2020.
Firefighters from Olympia, Lacey Fire Dist. 3, and McLane Black Lake fire departments responded to the fire.
There are no reported injuries at this time. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it appears to be intentional.
The Old Brewhouse Tower is under rehabilitation to preserve and protect the historic structure for the community. A $2 million project to replace bricks, restore masonry, and construct permanent roofs was recently completed. The Tower is owned by the City of Tumwater.
