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Fire Engulfs Tacoma Data-Center After Pipe Burst

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  Published in Politics and Government on Monday, November 10th 2025 at 17:41 GMT by KIRO-TV

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The Moment the Fire Ignites

Witnesses told reporters that the fire was first spotted around 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday when a burst pipe in the basement of the data‑center sent a plume of smoke up through the building’s steel framing. The fire quickly engulfed the server rooms, igniting a chain reaction of electrical equipment. Firefighters arriving on the scene—about 35 units of the Tacoma Fire Department, including a heavy‑air unit and a hydraulic rescue team—had to contend with a rapidly spreading blaze that threatened to spill over into the adjacent city office building.

An on‑scene video posted by the Tacoma Police Department’s public‑info channel shows the fire’s early stages: a bright orange flare erupting from the floor‑to‑ceiling server racks, followed by a thick black smoke billowing into the street. By 10:00 a.m., the fire had become uncontrollable, forcing the department to pull back to protect nearby residential structures.

Impact on Public‑TV and Government Networks

The city’s public‑TV station—KTAC, the local PBS affiliate—was broadcasting live to the region when the power outage cut the feed. The station’s transmission equipment, located within the same data‑center complex, was rendered inoperable. As a result, the entire Tacoma area lost access to PBS programming for roughly 90 minutes, with emergency broadcasts only becoming available on alternate frequencies once the fire was extinguished and the main power line restored.

In addition to the broadcast loss, the fire inflicted critical damage to the Tacoma Municipal Utility’s data‑center infrastructure. The server racks that store the city’s vital data, including emergency services dispatch systems, utility metering, and municipal records, were destroyed by fire and water damage from the firefighting efforts. The city’s IT department confirmed that the incident caused a cascading failure in the city’s government network, temporarily disabling traffic‑light control systems, the 911 dispatch center, and municipal data services across downtown.

“We have experienced a total loss of network connectivity for the entire downtown precinct,” said IT Director Marisol Ortega in a statement released early Wednesday. “We are working closely with the fire department to assess the full scope of the damage and develop a phased restoration plan.”

Immediate Response and Investigation

The Tacoma Fire Department has dispatched a special investigative crew to determine the root cause of the blaze. Initial evidence points to a faulty cooling system that may have overheated and triggered the fire. City officials are urging residents to report any unusual smells or electrical anomalies they may have noticed in the weeks leading up to the incident. The department’s investigation will likely involve a review of the data‑center’s safety protocols and fire suppression systems, which were installed during a major upgrade in 2018.

Firefighters and municipal workers are also working to mitigate the impact of the fire’s water damage. The building’s backup generator—located on the roof—was partially disabled, forcing emergency crews to rely on external power sources to keep essential services running. According to the city’s public‑safety liaison, the city’s network has been partially restored in the interim, with traffic lights and 911 services now operational on a limited basis.

Community and Media Response

The community has responded with a mix of concern and appreciation for the swift emergency response. Local news outlets, including KIRO‑7 and KIRO‑12, have broadcast live updates and interviews with affected residents. A local blogger, who runs a community‑safety site, posted an analysis of the incident, highlighting the need for stricter fire safety inspections in government data centers. She also shared an infographic detailing the chain of events, from the initial pipe burst to the final shutdown of the public‑TV station.

A city council meeting held Wednesday afternoon discussed the financial implications of the incident. City Councilmember Tom Haggard emphasized that the city will need to allocate a significant portion of its capital budget to rebuild the data‑center and upgrade the fire suppression system. “We owe it to our residents to ensure that our digital infrastructure is resilient and secure,” he said.

Looking Forward

The city’s IT department has launched a “Rapid Recovery Task Force” that will operate 24/7 until full service is restored. The first phase involves rebuilding critical server racks and restoring network connectivity to essential city services. The second phase will focus on re‑establishing the public‑TV transmission infrastructure and ensuring the station’s signal can be transmitted independently of the municipal data‑center.

While the city is currently in a “post‑incident” status, officials remain optimistic that full operational capacity can be regained within the next 12 to 18 months. In the meantime, the city has committed to offering free public‑TV access via satellite for residents who may still experience signal loss in the weeks ahead.

The Tacoma Fire Department has thanked the public for their patience and cooperation as the city works to bring the fire‑damaged data‑center back online. “Our priority is to get services up and running as quickly and safely as possible,” said Fire Chief Marcus Brown. “We will keep the community informed as we progress.”

As the city’s leaders and emergency personnel continue to work through the aftermath, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the fragile intersection between technology infrastructure and emergency response systems in urban environments. The full implications of the blaze—both in terms of economic cost and operational resilience—are still unfolding, but one thing is clear: Tacoma is determined to rebuild stronger, with safeguards that will better protect its citizens against future incidents.