LAKEWOOD, Wash. — One person was killed and two others were taken to the hospital after a van caught fire in Pierce County early Monday morning.
According to West Pierce Fire and Rescue, crews responded to the fire near the intersection of 92nd Street South and South Tacoma Way in Lakewood just after 4 a.m. Fire crews said three adults, two men and a woman, were inside the van at the time of the fire.
One nearby resident said she could feel the heat from the fire from her home.
Another resident said her husband attempted to extinguish the fire.
"My husband ran down and tried to put out the fire with the extinguisher, but it's a small extinguisher so it didn't happen," she said.
A bystander saw the fire and broke out one of the windows to try and help the people inside. West Pierce Fire and Rescue said the bystander was able to pull two people out of the van before it got too hot.
The man and woman who were pulled from the van were taken to the hospital in serious condition. The third person in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.