Lewis County Sirens.com

Investigators snapped photos after the fire was extinguished on Mima Acres Drive Southeast. / Courtesy photo by Thurston County Fire District 12.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A fire that seriously damaged a home just west of Tenino yesterday is believed to have started with a pan on a stove, according to Thurston County Fire District 12.

Three fire departments responded to the approximately 12:30 p.m. call along the 1700 block of Mima Acres Drive Southeast, Administrative Chief Tina Vanderhoof said

The occupants were home, called 911 and got out safely, she said.

The flames got into the ceiling, then the roof and while the doublewide mobile home didn’t burn to the ground, it was compromised and likely is a total loss, she said.

Much of the contents were destroyed, Vanderhoof said.

Two firefighters were treated at the scene for exhaustion, but nobody was hurt, she said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A rural Chehalis 19-year-old was arrested early yesterday for allegedly forcing two younger female relatives to have sex with him beginning when they were as young as five years old and he was as young as 10 to 12 years old.

Conlan M. Craig

A deputy with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by an aunt on Sunday in Centralia who said the girls disclosed to her what had occurred.

One of the girls said she told him no but it happened a half dozen times and the other said it continued until as recently as two months ago, according to court documents.

Conlan M. Craig was interviewed by the deputy and booked into the Lewis County Jail. He was charged yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court with two counts of first-degree child rape.

The maximum penalty is life in prison.

Judge Richard Brosey set Craig’s bail at $50,000. His arraignment was scheduled for Thursday.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Restrictions have been put in place for all outdoor burning in unincorporated Lewis County because of potential fire danger.

The only outdoor fires allowed will be campfires in designated campgrounds or in fire pits on private property that meet specific criteria, according to Lewis County Community Development Director Lee Napier, acting as fire marshal.

The ban began at 12:01 a.m. today.

Napier indicates in a news release that the weather conditions have created substantial fire dangers.

The action means any current open burning permit expired at midnight, according to Napier.

For specifications on acceptable fire pits, check the Lewis County Community Development Department’s web page.

Last year, dry conditions led to the same prohibition much earlier in the summer, they were enacted on June 19.

This past Friday, the Department of Natural Resources expanded its burn ban in forest land it protects to cover the entire state.

The county’s restrictions will remain in effect until lifted by the county Board of Commissioners.

For further information concerning outdoor burning, Napier can be reached at 360-740-1146. The fire marshal’s office is in the Lewis County Public Services building, located at 2025 NE Kresky Avenue in Chehalis.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Centralia Police Department is hosting its National Night Out event this evening at George Washington Park.

The community wide gathering will include food, prizes, inflatable slides for the kids, a display of police and other emergency vehicles as well as a chance to dunk the cops in the dunk tank, according to the department’s volunteer coordinator Jennifer Krueger.

The family event begins at 6 p.m. and is free, according to Krueger.

Washington Park is at West Main and South Pearl streets in Centralia.

In Thurston County, the sheriff’s office plans to recognize the annual nationwide crime prevention event by sending its personnel out into the community to neighborhood National Night Out gatherings.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Four individuals were arrested yesterday for first-degree robbery in connection with a Saturday morning incident at the 1600 block of North Scheuber Road in Centralia.

It was about 6:44 a.m. on Saturday when a victim reported  a purse and backpack were stolen after a threat with a knife,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

Andrea Parker, Jon Parker, Robert Plasencia and Kiana J. DeLaRosa were all booked into the Lewis County Jail early yesterday morning.

Officer John Panco said two suspects were arrested at the location of the incident and the other two were picked up elsewhere by other police agencies.

Panco didn’t say what might have been inside the purse or backpack.

The four are tentatively scheduled to go before a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.

One outbuilding was lost to fire west of Centralia / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Authorities suspect an attempt by a property owner to burn out a tree stump led to the spread of flames that destroyed an outbuilding yesterday west of Centralia.

Firefighters were called about 12:50 p.m. yesterday for a grass and brush fire at the 1700 block of Bunker Creek Road, according to Riverside Fire Authority. It was described as about 100 feet by 200 feet in size.

By the time crews arrived, one building on the property had burned, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.

“The Department of Natural Resources was summoned to assist with the extinguishment operation,” Weinert stated.

The damage is estimated at $20,000 for the building and $4,000 for its contents, according to Weinert.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Centralia police are investigating an early morning robbery in which an individual reported a purse and backpack were stolen after a threat with a knife.

Officers were called at 6:44 a.m. to the 1600 block of North Scheuber Road, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Officer John Panco said it happened on the street but wasn’t a random victim. Nobody was injured, he said.

“All the people involved know each other,” Panco said.

Panco didn’t have further details to release, except to say one victim was a female, and there may have been more than just two people involved overall.