PFD extinguishes fire at Planned Parenthood

From staff reports

This morning a fire broke out at the Planned Parenthood in Pullman on SE King Drive.

At 3:32 a.m., Whitcom dispatchers were notified of a fire and hold up alarm in the front portion of the building, according to a press release from the City of Pullman.

“The fact that it’s Planned Parenthood makes this suspicious,” said Pullman Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant. However, there are no leads or evidence indicating the fire was arson, he said. Police are still working to rule out all possibilities of foul play.

All glass from the windows that shattered was outside of the building, said Fire Chief Mike Heston.

The fire caused significant damage to the property, Tennant said. “They won’t be opening on Tuesday.”

Karl Eastlund, the CEO of Pullman’s Planned Parenthood, said the smoke and fire damage will put the building out of commission for the next several weeks. In the meantime, he said, the healthcare provider will look for partners in the community to share space with to continue its services.

“We’ve partnered with some churches and other groups in the past,” Eastlund said.

According to the press release, the fire was extinguished quickly after attacking it through a broken window and cutting through the roof to get to a portion of the fire that had spread to the rafters.

Reporting by Hannah Street, Dustin Brennan and Erin Mullen