Pierce County temporarily shuttered 45 spas, massage businesses and wellness clinics Tuesday that posed immediate fire-safety risks. Fire marshal Ken Rice called the operation the largest fire-code enforcement action in recent memory.
Six teams made up of deputy fire marshals, code-enforcement officers and permitting technicians spent the morning and early afternoon inspecting about two dozen businesses on Pacific Avenue from Parkland through Spanaway down to Elk Plain.
Enforcement officers also temporarily closed spas and massage parlors on Meridian south of Puyallup through South Hill and down to Graham. Officers gave businesses stop-work orders and bright red no-trespassing signs. A handful of other spas were closed near the Midland and Frederickson areas…