LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Three businesses were destroyed by a large commercial fire in Lynnwood early Tuesday morning.
Lynnwood police first tweeted about the two-alarm fire on the 19100 block of Highway 99 around midnight. South County Fire said a sign shop, a towing company and an auto glass shop were destroyed by the fire.
A nearby apartment complex was also damaged by the fire. Some apartment units have smoke damage, and at least eight residents were displaced, according to South County Fire.
No injuries have been reported.
Pam Lux, the owner of Shannon Towing, said her son called her at about 11:15 p.m. to alert her about the fire.
She headed straight for her business to see flames shooting out and a street packed with emergency vehicles.
South County Fire said all three businesses (Speedy Signs, Shannon Towing and International Auto Glass and Window Tint) are considered total losses.
“There’s nothing left in there,” Lux said, “But we’re really fortunate. I mean, you can see we park our trucks right there by the garage and so we were really worried that we would lose them.”
Their trucks luckily were not damaged.
Shannon Towing isn’t missing a beat.
“We’re still working today,” Lux said. “We still have to pay these guys. They all have families. They all need to pay their bills and we need to keep them working.”
But she’s focused on her neighbors and how their businesses will recover.
“We’ll be fine because our tow trucks are on the road 24/7 but the other two guys, their small businesses, they employ a bunch of people," she said. "Junior employs like 12 people. So, that’s like 12 people out of work."
Lynnwood police said the fire caused a “significant power outage” in the area around 12:30 a.m. Snohomish County PUD reported only one power outage in the area as of 5:50 a.m.
Both directions of Highway 99 were closed between 196th Street Southwest and 188th Street Southwest for several hours while firefighters got the fire under control. The Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted the roadway was open by 6 a.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Red Cross responded to the scene to assist those who have been displaced.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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