Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Even though their zero tolerance, month-long emphasis on catching motorists using cell phones while driving has ended, Centralia police plan to continue aggressively watching for violators, according to Centralia Police Department Chief Bob Berg.

The fine is $124, the other potential consequence whether ticketed or not is a car crash, according to Berg.

“Almost one third of the fatal traffic collisions in Washington State since 2007 occurred because one of the individuals involved was a distracted driver,” Berg stated in a news release.

While not all wrecks related to inattention can be blamed on texting or talking on a cell phone, studies show phone use behind the wheel causes an “impairment” that can be likened to driving while intoxicated, according to Berg.

“The problem is real in escalating in terms of safety on the roadway,” the police chief stated when the emphasis began. “Education alone has not curbed the problems of texting and cell phone use while driving.”

Centralia officers issued 131 citations between July 10 and Aug. 10, compared with 52 of the tickets in the previous five months.

Texting while driving (RCW 46.61.668) is illegal in Washington as is having a cell phone to your ear and talking while driving (RCW 46.61.667). The prohibition, in effect since 2007, became a primary offense last year.

Berg notes those who have been ticketed may qualify for Centralia Municipal Court Traffic School, which can help keep the citation from appearing on the individual’s driving record and being reported to their insurance carrier.

Updated at 12:08 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Responders had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate one of the occupants after a car carrying a family of four that wrecked along state Route 6 west of Chehalis yesterday.

Crews from Lewis County Fire Districts 16, 11 and 13 responded to the 12:15 p.m. rollover crash near River Road, about three miles east of Doty, according to authorities.

Injured were driver Kevin D. Beigh, 37, Sarah I. Beigh, 37, Mason T. Beigh, 4, and Alexandria L. Beigh, 15, all from Tenino, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Sarah Beigh is a senior deputy prosecutor with the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.

Lewis County Fire District 11 Chief Michael Krafczyk said the adult passenger was trapped in the car.

The 1998 Nissan Maxima was traveling eastbound when for whatever reason it left the roadway to the right, struck an embankment, rolled and came to rest on its top, according to the state patrol.

Krafczyk said ambulances from Pe Ell and AMR transported all four to Providence Centralia Hospital. The car was described as totaled.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said he talked with Beigh last night and she’s sore and bruised but will be fine. A spokesperson for the hospital said the adult patients were treated and released. No information was made available about the children.

All were wearing seat belts, according to the investigating trooper. The state patrol blamed inattention on the part of the driver.  He was cited for wheels off the roadway, according to the state patrol.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 63-year-old Tacoma man escaped with only mild hypothermia after a kayaking accident last night near Rochester.

It happened just prior to 10 p.m. on the Black River about a mile north of Rochester.

He and his 60-year-old companion, both from Tacoma, got a late start getting on the river near Littlerock and it was dark when his kayak became tangled in a fallen tree, knocking him into the water, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

“The male was only able to hold onto the female’s kayak and was in water too deep to stand,” Chief Robert Scott said in a news release. “The male quickly began to weaken due to the effects of the water.”

A dozen firefighters responded to the cell phone call to 911, but it still took 50 minutes to locate the couple, according to Scott. They used a signal from the cell phone, air horns, sirens and communication exchanges with the 911 personnel to pinpoint the couple’s exact location. Scott said they were on a part of the river bordered by several hundred yards of thick underbrush and no direct access to the water.

Crews administered treatment for hypothermia and brought the male off the river in rescue basket, according to Scott. His companion was able to walk out with responders, he said.

Scott said the pair were wearing life vests. He used the incident as a reminder that it’s wise to carry a flashlight, cell phone, and extra clothing on such outings.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Firefighters are on the scene of an overnight blaze that significantly damaged a house on the 2800 block of Russell Road in Centralia.

Crews called just after 3:15 a.m. found flames coming out the left and rear sides of the one story single family home and smoke rolling out from the attic space, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

A resident who said he was awakened by smoke detector escaped through a window, Fire Capt. Greg Schwartz said.

Not long after they arrived, one firefighter was struck by a patio roof at the back of the house fell down, Schwartz said.

“I think he was knocked to the ground, but not injured,” Schwartz said.

Riverside Fire Authority was joined by members of the Chehalis Fire Department as well as West Thurston Regional Fire Thurston Authority out of Rochester, he said.

They finished up by about 6:30 a.m. but are now looking for the cause of the fire, according to Schwartz.

Schwartz said the resident, an adult male, was treated by paramedics from AMR, so he didn’t have further information about his condition.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A red flag warning has been issued for fire weather because of expected lightening tonight through mid-morning on Sunday.

Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop in the Cascades possibly spreading west into the Southwest Interior Lowlands, according to the National Weather Service.

With the increasingly dry weather, outdoor burning restrictions have been put into place in Lewis County and other areas.

Last week, the state Department of Natural Resources decided to ban campfires on all forestland and other property it protects. Yesterday, additional restrictions were implemented on lands managed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Those are places such as the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery, the Swofford Pond area and the east end of Riffe Lake.

In those wildlife sensitive areas, smoking is now restricted to inside enclosed vehicles and target shooting is now prohibited except at WDFD shooting ranges, according to the state agency.

Also prohibited is operating a motor vehicle off developed roads, according to spokesperson Craig Bartlett.

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For background, read “News brief: Beware of seemingly innocent activities with high fire danger” from Saturday August 3, 2013, here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Fire crews called to the 200 block of West Oakview Avenue in Centralia earlier today to a report of smoke coming out of a house found smoldering clothing in a closet.

They suppressed the fire, and transported the woman who lives there to Providence Centralia Hospital with a minor burn, according to Riverside Fire Authority. Assistant Chief Mike Kytta said he wasn’t sure how she got hurt.

The gated community called Hunters Walk has about 100 modular homes, situated fairly close together.

Kytta said the fire damage was limited.

“It burned carpeting and some things on a shelf in the closet,” he said. “There was smoke damage throughout the house.”

Initially responders thought her adult son might be home, but he was not, according to Kytta.

Investigators will be “reconstructing” some things over the next day or two to attempt to find out the cause, he said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Rochester couple using candles for light because they had no electricity now have no home after an overnight fire.

Firefighters called just after 1:30 a.m. to the 9200 block of 192nd Lane Southwest found heavy smoke coming from the manufactured home, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. The blaze was contained to the bathroom and hallway but the rest of the house was smoke damaged, Chief Robert Scott said.

The male resident was treated for smoke inhalation; the fire burned through the floor and he was using a garden hose from outside to try to extinguish it, Scott said.

Scott said he didn’t know why they had no power, but he was told they’d left a candle burning in the bathroom, which is where the fire was centered. It was the smoke that woke them, he said.

“I didn’t hear of any working smoke detector so it’s lucky they woke up when they did,” he said. “Or it could have been a lot more tragic.”

The Red Cross was contacted to assist them with temporary housing.

Scott said he wast sure if the home was repairable.