An August 11 lightning strike in the vicinity of the Pierce County Courthouse set off alarms and sent fire crews racing to protect the historic building, but when they arrived on scene there was no fire — just a lot of dust. Ironically, the very dust meant to protect important legal documents in case of a fire would become the primary obstacle to keeping the courthouse open for business.
While no fire had broken out, an alarm was set off by the electrical discharge and the building’s fire suppression system was triggered, releasing flame-retardant dust into a vault attached to the magistrate judge’s office.
After securing the site and ensuring there were no heat sources from actual flames or embers, firefighters placed large fans in the affected area, trying to disperse the dust in the same way they would normally disperse smoke.
