Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A barn fire outside Centralia yesterday that drew four fire departments was started by a child playing with a lighter, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

Firefighters called about 2:45 p.m. to the 300 block of Lincoln Creek Road found the pole building fully involved in flames, Chief Jim Walkowski said this morning.

“We had a couple of cars on fire, I think two travel trailers on fire, and residence about 50 feet away we had to protect,” Walkowski said.

No injuries were reported, except an adult female who lived at the property was taken to the hospital with respiratory and other symptoms likely from stress and anxiety, the chief said.

Walkowski estimated the wood and metal pole building was about 24 feet by 36 feet. It was left standing, but its contents were incinerated, he said.

A total of about 18 firefighters were on the scene from Riverside, the Rochester area and Lewis County Fire Districts 6 and 5, according to Walkowski.

The building was used for storage of items like wood, flammable liquids and tires, he said.

Walkowski said a boy, whose age he didn’t yet know but was probably younger than 10, had been playing with a lighter. He wasn’t hurt, he said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod is inviting the public to come by and see the newly renovated coroner’s office on Friday.

They will hold an open house from noon until 2 p.m. when visitors can also meet the staff and get a tour of the facility.

The coroners office is located at 585 N.W. Center St. in Chehalis.

McLeod says there is parking in the fenced lot around the corner on North Street.

They will have snacks.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Salkum woman who was rescued from her burning home on Saturday remains in critical condition today.

The 65-year-old, whose name has not been released, was airlifted to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland after the morning fire on the 2100 block of Spencer Road near Forest Retreat Drive.

The blaze was contained to the room of origin, but the woman who uses a wheelchair only made it to the door before her call to 911 cut off.

Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Mauermann was the first on the scene, arriving one minute before Lewis County Fire District 8 and pulled her out the door to safety. The sheriff’s office says Mauermann found her tangled in a phone cord which he had to cut.

Fire Investigator Derrick Paul said she suffered burns, but the smoke inhalation was really the problem.

The woman uses oxygen, he said. The pump and oxygen tank were near her when she awoke to the fire, but there was no explosion, he said.

The cause was a cigarette in a trash can, according to Paul.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield yesterday praised Mauermann saying while its the duty of properly equipped firefighters to do what the deputy did, he is extremely proud of the deputy’s actions.
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For more, read “Breaking news: Salkum woman critical after morning house fire” from Saturday August 13, 2011 at 12:22 p.m., here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Preliminary results from the emergency medical services levy for the Packwood-area fire district are expected to be posted on the Lewis County Auditor’s web site a little after 8 p.m. tonight.

Lewis County Fire District 10 in Packwood is asking its voters to approve a levy of 25 cents, or less, per thousand dollars of property valuation for six years. It needs 60 percent to pass.

It’s a continuation of the same levy approved in 2005.

Today’s vote-by-mail primary election also includes three-way races for positions on some city councils, school boards and the board of the Centralia Port District.

Four fire districts in Lewis County will see contested races for commissioner positions in the November 8 election.
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For primary results, click here or go to the “elections center” section of the county auditor’s page on the web site for Lewis County government.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Rochester man is in satisfactory condition this morning following a Friday night wreck on U.S. Highway 12 at Moon Road that sent him by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Donald M. Stacy, 57, was airlifted to the Seattle hospital after the three-vehicle collision in Rochester late Friday night.

Troopers called at 11:40 p.m. found the Ford Taurus Stacy was a passenger in totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Its driver, Casey D. Hasenbalg, 27, also of Rochester, was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital where he was treated and has been released.

Hasenbalg was westbound and making a left turn on to Moon Road when his car was struck by an eastbound vehicle, according to the state patrol. The Taurus was shoved into a Subaru sitting at a stop sign on Moon Road, the state patrol reported.

A 52-year-old Rochester woman driving the Subaru was reportedly uninjured but her car sustained an estimated $1,000 damage, according to the patrol.

The other vehicle, a Mitsubishi Endeavor sustained an estimated $3,000 damage, and the state patrol reported its driver – a 24-year-old Rochester woman – was also uninjured.

This photo is an example of the particular body and grille style of the van troopers are looking for. Details such as window configurations, color and length my be different. / Courtesy photo Washington State Patrol

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Troopers are still looking for the van that left a 77-year-old Chehalis woman dead on Interstate 5 near Chehalis on May 21.

Lily M. Rowland

Lily M. Rowland, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, had wandered away from her home on Bishop Road home and was struck by a vehicle on northbound Interstate 5 near the Labree Road interchange.

It happened just before 10 p.m. on a Saturday night.

The Washington State Patrol says the van will likely be missing its right-side mirror and its front passenger side amber-colored marking light will be broken or missing.

Pieces of the van found at the scene belong to a 1996 to 2002 full sized Chevrolet Express or GMC Savana van, according to the state patrol.

Anyone with information about what happened is asked to call detective Sgt. Rob Brusseau at 360-449-7941.