Makeshift bedrooms, kitchens and even a bicycle repair shop were found inside a Puget Sound hospital after firefighters battled a small fire inside one of the buildings at the complex on Thursday.
A fire department source told KIRO 7 it appears as many as 100 people could be living in or using the empty buildings, despite warnings of an extreme health risk because of asbestos.
“At nighttime is when they break into the building and sleep in there,” said Jenny Sanchez, who lives across the street from the abandoned buildings.
Sanchez and other neighbors say people have been squatting in the old hospital for years. She regularly sees lights in the buildings at night.
“I see them coming out. They line up, hide and go in there. There’s flashlights,” she added.
Pat Fischer, who lives a few doors down, said he has talked to one man who's lived in the hospital for three years.
“It’s warm and dry. That’s why they stay there,” Fischer said.
Pierce County closed the hospital in 2010. It had been in operation for nearly 90. KIRO 7 found several ways to get inside the locked and boarded-up building. Ladders were propped against one building and used to get up to windows on higher floors.
The hospital is considered extremely hazardous because of asbestos, lead and, now, human waste left behind by squatters.
Fire crews responding to Thursday’s blaze were forced to scrub off hazardous material after being inside.
Fischer disputes the claim that up to 100 people may be using the building and says he believes the highest number is around 30. He also says he'll be glad to see the old hospital finally torn down.
“I haven’t been to a kegger in a lot of years, but I’m going to have one on that day,” Fischer laughed. “Right in my front yard. You’re invited.”
He may not have too much longer to wait. Removal of hazardous materials inside the old hospital is scheduled to begin in March or April. Demolition of the buildings and construction of the new headquarters for South Sound 911 is slated for later this year.