Lewis County Sirens.com

Firefighters send a stream of water into the flames at the 200 block of Taylor Road. / Courtesy photo by Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A two-story farm house south of Chehalis burned to the ground yesterday; the cause is under investigation.

“The house is a total loss,” Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue Chief Gregg Peterson said. “We were there probably four hours on the scene, and returned throughout the night.”

Peterson said nobody was hurt and the residents were not home, but their dog was, and is presumed dead.

His crews were joined by members of Lewis County Fire District 6 and 1 in answering the approximately 4 p.m. call to the  200 block of Taylor Road, he said. Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue is the new name for Lewis County Fire District 5.

They got numerous calls from neighbors and found the structure pretty well involved in flames when they arrived, Peterson said. Several explosions were presumed to be propane tanks and ammunition in the house going off, he said.

“There were no hydrants in the area, so it had to be done with tenders,” he said.

Peterson said he understood from the owner it was the original home on Taylor Road. The residents, who he believed to be three people, two of them brothers, lost everything, he said.

The residents and the Red Cross have been in touch with each other, he said.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A gas station employee arriving to open up early this morning outside of Chehalis discovered someone inside trying to bust open an ATM machine.

As she pulled into the parking lot, and noticed a broken window, a male jumped out the window and took off, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened just before 3 a.m., Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said.

A search of the area and a track by the Chehalis police dog failed to turn up the burglar, according to Brown. Deputies are working on getting surveillance images, Brown said.

The Hillcrest 76 Gas Station sits on the corner of state Route 6 and   Highway 603 in Adna.

Brown said the male ran west on state Route 6 and it is believed he may have jumped into the Chehalis River to get away.

Deputies found a sledge hammer and crowbar left behind, and concluded that when he could not break open the machine, he dragged it over to the broken window, on the state Route 6 side of the building.

That’s when the worker showed up, according to Brown.

Brown is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the sheriff’s office or Lewis County Crime Stoppers.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Troopers are asking social media users to think twice before sharing pictures or information about tragic incidents on the roadways.

Social media has become an important part of everyday life, but in the case of serious collisions the consequences of posting photos include the possibility someone may learn of the death of a family member under less than ideal circumstances, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Will Finn last month wrote of a case in which a Randle woman arrived at the scene of her husband’s fatal collision with a semi truck on U.S. Highway 12 after reading about the wreck on Facebook.

Troopers were stunned and extremely concerned for her emotional well being, according to Finn.

“Troopers were faced with the difficult task of telling Mrs. Sume her husband had died while she looked at the wreckage of the scene,” Finn wrote.

Trooper Finn is the designated spokesperson for the state patrol in Southwest Washington.

Finn says the task of notifying family members of a loved one’s passing is already difficult and painful and under ordinary circumstances, part of their job includes working to help bring comfort to a grieving family in various ways.

“The comfort may be given by staying with a wife who is home alone until a friend or family member can be with them,” Finn  writes. “The comfort may also be given by answering a specific question about the investigation.”

If a family learns of their loss via social media, those opportunities can be lost, according to Finn.

The Jan. 4 wreck near Randle in which 52-year-old Jay E. Sume was killed isn’t the first time social media has made a bad situation worse, according to Finn.

Roughly a year earlier, a Vancouver woman unknowingly tweeted her own husband’s death and subsequently began asking questions through social media to confirm her suspicions, Finn writes.

Last spring also in Vancouver, a motorist trying to capture images of troopers investigating a deadly wreck for social media caused a second accident that resulted in serious injuries.

Finn acknowledges the important role social media has, in informing the public of impending dangers and offering critical information during significant events. But he asks people to think before posting, to think of the family that could be affected by the words or photos shared.

His suggestion is that tweeting or posting just bare facts is sufficient, such as “Road closed, use alternate route.”

Finn says the state patrol at times shares pictures with the public via social media. He says they don’t post photos until families have been notified.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  Low-interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are available for those impacted by the flooding last month.

The SBA offers up to $200,000 for homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, according to the agency. Renters and homeowners both are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Also, businesses of any size and most non-profit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets.

The SBA indicates in a news release that interest rates can be as low as 4 percent for businesses, 2.625 percent for private nonprofit organizations, and 1.938 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

The SBA acted under its own authority to make the disaster declaration last week, following a request from Gov. Jay Inslee.

The SBA can also lend additional funds to homeowners and businesses to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future. Other kinds of loans can help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster, and are available regardless of whether a business suffered any property damage.

The declaration makes assistance available for those affected by severe storms, flooding and landslides from Jan. 3 to Jan. 6 in Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston counties.

Heavy precipitation and rising snow levels caused minor flooding on January 5 around Lewis County.

The deadline for most of the applications is March 30. The following are several places to get information:

• Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela

• A Disaster Loan Outreach Center was set to open yesterday in heavily impacted Aberdeen at Grays Harbor County District Court, 2109 Sumner Ave., where individuals can ask question and get help filling out applications.

• Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling 1-800-659-2955 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call 1-800-877-8339. For more information about SBA’s disaster assistance programs, visit http://www.sba.gov/disaster

• Additional questions can answered by Lewis County Emergency Management at 360-740-1151.
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For background, read “News brief: Flood damage scattered and limited” from Friday January 9, 2015, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Onalaska Fire Department wants members of the public to be able to ask questions about a new main fire station in the works on state Route 508 near Alexander Road.

The property across from Brenda’s Country Market has already been purchased, newly installed Fire Chief Andrew Martin said.

A special business meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, at the current main station, at 244 Carlisle Avenue, according to Martin.

“We’ll have the architect here and they can ask questions of him and the board,” Martin said.

The department serves more than 3,100 residents over an 82-square mile area in Lewis County Fire District 1.

The building on Carlisle Avenue is about 70 years old and has been through a fire, and when they looked at putting a new roof on, it appeared they would have to spend some $90,000, Martin said.

The department will be giving a presentation also on Tuesday at the Onalaska Alliance’s meeting, Martin said. But the board may take action at Thursday’s meeting, he said.

Martin, a volunteer chief who took over on Jan. 1, said the department has 24 volunteers, six of whom are also EMTs. Five more are currently in training to become EMTs, he said.

The district has a measure on the Feb. 10 ballot to continue its same EMS levy to support the program, he said.

Property owners have been paying 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for the past six years, and commissioners would like voters to agree to another six years at the same rate, according to Martin.

Money from the EMS levy covers supplies for three ambulances and purchased the third ambulance they placed at Station 1-3 at 3030 State Route 508 to ensure faster response time for occupants on the other side of the bridge, according to Martin. The levy also ensures that the residents who are critically ill receive advance life support care, he said.

Also on the ballot, Lewis County Fire District 2 in Toledo is asking voters to continue an EMS levy that would collect up to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for property owners.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Napavine area father who gave his 4-month-old daughter a bruised brain was sentenced today to 16 months in prison.

Tyler C. Abair

Attorneys on both sides recommended 14 months, but Lewis County Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt chose the top of the standard range.

Tyler C. Abair was convicted earlier this month of third-degree assault following a plea agreement.

Abair was arrested last spring, a month after an incident in which he said the infant choked on formula and stopped breathing. The 23-year-old father acknowledged that he shook her, but also said that he was terrified and didn’t know CPR, according to court documents.

The baby’s mother, in a letter read aloud to the judge today by the baby’s grandmother, asked that Abair be given the maximum amount of time.

“I fear for my children,” she said. “She nearly died and suffered a great amount of pain.”

Before his arrest, Abair stayed home and cared for their twins while the mother worked.

The grandmother told the judge the family is struggling to understand why Abair didn’t call 911 and didn’t take infant CPR classes as the mother had.

Court documents referenced a doctor who indicated the child exhibited classic but not severe signs of Shaken Baby Syndrome. Prosecutors have said the child has recovered.

Prosecutors initially charged Abair with first-degree assault  but as the case progressed, decided the evidence didn’t show first-degree assault.

He was also given eight months for an unrelated second-degree theft, with his time to be served concurrently, according to Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead.

Abair has already been locked up for eight months in the Lewis County Jail.
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For background, read “Father admits he shook his infant child, didn’t know CPR ” from Thursday January 15, 2015, here