Lewis County Sirens.com

One acre in Rochester is scorched / Courtesy photo by West Thurston Regional Fire Authority

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Crews from three fire departments were joined by wildland firefighters from the state Department of Natural Resources at a 3:30 p.m. brush fire in Rochester yesterday.

Lt. Lanette Dyer of West Thurston Regional Fire Authority reports one acre burned on the unimproved property along 180th Way Southwest near Albany Place.

A nearby homeowner called 911 after seeing smoke and observing five young people fleeing the scene, Dyer said in a news release.

The wind-driven flames were quickly contained, according to Dyer. A small shed was saved, she said.

DNR brought in a 10-person crew from Cedar Creek Corrections Center near Littlerock to mop up, she stated.

The fire was suspicious and was turned over to DNR and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office to investigate its origins, according to Dyer.

The blaze came about the same time residents from Centralia to Napavine were reporting haze and smoke over the area that local fire officials attributed to the large wild fire burning in Cle Elum, east of the mountains.

Later in the evening, at least one Lewis County fire crew joined firefighters north of Castle Rock where a five-acre brush fire ignited, according to The (Longview) Daily News.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Local fire authorities have searched by land and plane for the source of smoke over the area, from northern Centralia to parts farther south this afternoon.

Current weather conditions suggest it’s residual smoke carried by wind from the northeast wildfires in Cle Elum, according to Riverside Fire Authority Assistant Chief Mike Kytta.

Kytta said they received numerous reports and one of the department’s volunteers finally took to the skies.

As of 6:30 p.m., there was no defined smoke column rising in the  area, according to Kytta.

Lewis County Fire District 5 spokesperson Lt. Laura Hanson noted personnel checked several areas in response to calls from residents. No ground fires were found, according to Hanson.

Kytta cautions however, the situation could certainly change very quickly, so he asks anyone who see flames or a defined column of smoke to call 911.

Please don’t assume a report has been made by someone else, Kytta asks.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

With temperatures forecast in Centralia for the mid to high 90s tomorrow and Thursday, the city is inviting folks without air conditioning to hang out in the city council chambers.

Individuals are welcome to spend time in a temperature controlled environment between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on those two days, according to Centralia Police Chief Bob Berg. Water will be available.

It could reach 98 degrees tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service.

Authorities advise heat illnesses are possible, so people should stay out of the sun, drink plenty of water, wear a hat and use sunscreen. The weather service suggests it’s a good idea to check up on relatives and neighbors.

Centralia City Hall is located at 118 W. Maple St.

Children younger than 12 must be accompanied and supervised.

Additionally, a red flag warning is in place for much of Western Washington including the Southwest Interior, because the combination of high heat, low humidity and strong winds will create the potential for explosive fire growth.

Updated at 10:33 a.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A young woman and her mother safely escaped their Centralia home this morning when fire broke out in an upstairs bedroom.

Firefighters called just after 6 a.m. to the 1000 block of South Tower Avenue found smoke coming from a window and took their hose upstairs.

It started where multiple devices including an air conditioner were plugged into power strips and extension cords, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

“The air conditioning unit was a 110 model, I’m gonna guess that overloaded the circuit,” Fire Capt. Greg Schwartz said.

The young woman awoke to the sound of popping and cracking; there were not smoke detectors in the house, he said. She was checked at the scene for possible smoke inhalation.

“Luckily, she was a light sleeper,” he said.

The fire was confined to items on the floor, the floor itself and the corner of a bed, Schwartz said.

Courtesy photo by West Thurston Regional Fire Authority

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Local firefighters from Napavine, Morton and Rochester have joined crews battling a wildfire near Cle Elum that has reportedly claimed 60 homes and more than 26,000 acres.

The wildfire that started about 1:20 p.m. yesterday is burning in sage and timber, according to the state fire marshal’s office.

Lewis County District 5 spokesperson Megan Van Egdom reports three personnel from the Napavine area department took a brush truck and a water tender when they headed east last night.

West Thurston Regional Fire Authority based in Rochester and Littlerock sent five people to assist, according to Chief Robert Scott.

A team from his department just returned after four days working a wildfire in Chelan County that ignited last weekend, Scott said.

The chief said he wants to assure local residents that even though he is sending people and apparatus out of the area, he still has resources in place here to protect the public.

The Seattle Times this morning reported some 600 firefighters are expected to be on the scene today of the fast moving fire that has prompted evacuations of more than 450 people.

It is located about six miles east of Cle Elum on state Route 10, Deputy State Fire Marshal Ed Borgatti said in a news release last night.

The fire is human caused, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

Updated at 10:13 a.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Deputies are in Winlock awaiting the arrival of a bomb squad after an improvised explosive device was found this morning laying on a roadway.

A motorcyclist called 911 about 7:15 a.m. after he spotted the cardboard tube with a burned fuse on the 100 block of Fisher Road, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

It is laying in the southbound lane and not near any homes, only a cattle field, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said, so no evacuations were necessary.

She described it as six inches long and two inches in diameter with epoxy caps and screws through the cardboard.

Update: Washington State Patrol bomb technicians detonated the device about 9:30 a.m.

More to come

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Substantial fire danger due to hot, dry weather prompted a burn ban that went into effect today in Lewis County.

Outdoor burning is prohibited except for recreational fires in approved receptacles, according to Lewis County Fire Marshal Fred Chapman.

The restrictions will remain in effect until further notice, according to Chapman.

Open burning is restricted in Thurston County as well.

Restrictions increased today for lands of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.