Archive for August, 2014

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, August 13th, 2014

Updated at 3:40 p.m.

BUTTER KNIFE ATTACK

• A 46-year-old woman was arrested last night after she allegedly stabbed her boyfriend in the chest with a butter knife at the 1200 block of Long Road in Centralia. Deputies called about 11:40 p.m. found the 38-year-old victim had a wound near his collarbone, but he didn’t want any aid, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. They learned he threw lighter that hit her in the arm and she stuck him with the piece of flatware, according to the sheriff’s office. Angela M. Reed was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree assault, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

BANK CARD STOLEN AND USED

• Police took a report from a 61-year-old Centralia man yesterday morning after he discovered that while he was in jail someone used his debit card and drained his account. The card was left at the motel where he was staying on the 1000 block of Eckerson Road when he was arrested, the victim told police . And when he got out after about four months, he went to the bank to make a withdrawal and found he was nearly $5,000 in the red, some of that being attributed to overdraft fees, Officer Patty Finch said. The investigation is ongoing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BURGLARY CENTRALIA

• Deputies responded about 5 p.m. yesterday to a burglary at the 100 block of Tri-Mountain Lane outside Centralia in which an estimated $500 worth of jewelry was missing from a home. It happened between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and the suspect may have been driving a red  four-door passenger car, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

FELONY SHOPLIFTING

• Chehalis police responded to Wal-Mart about 10 p.m. yesterday after a security person detained one of two females who reportedly left without paying, pushing a shopping cart loaded up with nearly $300 worth of diapers, blankets, clothing and cleaning supplies. One fled on foot but the other reportedly said she was going to sell the items to others, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Arrianna K. Davis, 18, of Kelso, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for theft with intent to resell, department spokesperson Linda Bailey said.

COLLISION

• An 18-year-old driver was hospitalized yesterday after her car ran off U.S. Highway 12 about a dozen miles east of Packwood and struck a rock embankment. Troopers called just before 11 a.m. report the Toyota Tercel was totaled. Melissa A. Watkins, from Tieton, was transported to Morton General Hospital, according to the Washington State Patrol.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, a man who shoplifted a plum; responses for alarm, disputes, collisions on city streets, car versus deer on state route, suspicious circumstances … and more.

Forest fire west of Centralia well under control

Tuesday, August 12th, 2014
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By early Monday evening from a little bit beyond Teague Road, the wildfire had calmed. / Courtesy photo by Juan Martinez

Updated

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The fire fight west of Centralia is winding down but crews will continue work a few more days to make sure smoldering wood is all the way extinguished and complete what they call mop up.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Natural Resources said the charred area was mapped at just under 60 acres.

“They were hoping at the end of today’s shift to have it 100 percent contained,” Rex Hapala said this evening.

Hapala said approximately 85 firefighters worked today, at the forest fire site about three miles past the end of Teague Road.

“The fire wasn’t very active at all last night,” Hapala said.

The blaze began on Sunday afternoon with Riverside Fire Authority responding, and personnel from DNR joining them as flames swept through some 25 acres that included 40-year-old timber.

The initial call was about a slash pile observed burning in a clear cut area off a logging road.

DNR set up a base at Centralia High School yesterday morning as numerous firefighters were summoned from  Lewis, Pacific and Cowlitz counties.

The property is DNR Trust Land, managed by the state agency with timber profits benefitting schools.

By yesterday afternoon, DNR Incident Commander Aaron Schmidt estimated the size at 40 acres and called it 25 percent contained. A helicopter dropped water on areas describe as hot spots as firefighters worked in 100 degree weather.

Inmate crews from Larch Creek and Naselle Youth Camp assisted as well.

It was the biggest fire DNR’s Pacific Cascade Region had battled in about two weeks, according to Schmidt.

The closest homes were probably a mile and a half away, at the end of Deep Creek Road out of Adna, Schmidt said.

The National Weather Service yesterday issued a red flag warning for dangerous fire weather, with expected lightning and some was seen in the area this morning, and some moisture came with it, according to Hapala.

Hapala said tomorrow they plan to bring in two new inmate crews to do line work around the perimeter, and create a better buffer zone.

He expects the work will continue through the end of the week.

“We’ll be out there a few more days, continuing to do mop up,” he said. “Some of the bigger fuels are still smoking and burning.”

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Looking south, flames rise from the hillside beyond Teague Road around 8 p.m. on Sunday. / Courtesy photo by Tracie Trice

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Teague Road Fire: 08/11/2014 / Department of Natural Resources

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, August 12th, 2014

Updated at 6:49 p.m.

RESCUE IN THE MOUNTAINS

• A backpacker who got sick in the Goat Rocks Wilderness area over the weekend was rescued yesterday by a search and rescue team member, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The 37-year-old woman from Tualatin, Ore. with three companions walked into the Snowgrass Flats at the Chambers Lake outside of Packwood to camp on Saturday, but the following day she was suffering from vertigo, vomiting and couldn’t stand up, according to the sheriff’s office. They called for help and rescuers drove partway in, and one of them hiked to the camp reaching it around midnight, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The area is at an elevation of approximately 5,600 feet, Brown said. The search and rescue team member stayed the night and helped hydrate the woman, so they could walk out yesterday morning, according to Brown. The Oregon woman said she hadn’t had an episode for years, but the elevation may have brought it on, Brown said.

THEFT AT CENTRALIA MILL

• Centralia police were called about 10:15 a.m. yesterday to Northwest Hardwoods at the 3000 block of Galvin Road about the theft of about $6,000 worth of sander bearings. Each of the missing square brass bearings weighs five to seven pounds, according to the Centralia Police Department. Eleven or 12 of them disappeared from a rack sometime during the previous week, according to police. There is no suspect information, Officer Patty Finch said.

THEFT OF CASH

• Centralia police were called about 4:15 p.m. yesterday to the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue regarding the theft of money. The case remains under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

WINLOCK THEFT

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning that someone stole about $1,000 worth of various equipment such as a pressure washer and tools from outside a home on the 200 block of Winter Road near Winlock between 6 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. last Thursday.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday that nearly $2,000 worth of carpentry tools were stolen from a residence at the 400 block of Hart Road in Winlock between Thursday and Friday.

CHEHALIS THEFT

• More than $8,000 worth of valuables were missing when a 37-year-old woman returned home to find the residence ransacked at the 600 block of Highway 603 west of Chehalis, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday. She left at 11 a.m. and got back at 4 p.m. and discovered someone had forced their way through a door at the garage and left with jewelry, an Xbox and other items such as clothing including Lewis County Sheriff’s Office uniform pants, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. Also taken was a Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Explorer’s notebook, Brown said. Brown indicated that she did not know if it was a deputy’s home that was burglarized.

• A Lawn Chief deck lawn mower and a disassembled 12.5 hp engine were taken from a garage at the 100 block of Lake Creek Road outside Chehalis, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday. The owner said it happened sometime between 5 p.m. last Thursday and 11 p.m. on Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday they are investigating a case in which $2,200 cash went missing from where it was stored under a mattress. The victim, a 68-year-old Chehalis woman, said she always keeps her doors locked and didn’t believe anyone knew it was there, according to the sheriff’s office. She noticed it on Friday, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

MISSING MOTORHOME

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning that a the owner of a 1998 Thor Regency class A motorhome discovered on Friday it was missing from the gated storage area at the Thousand Trails Campground where he had parked it a month earlier. The green and white RV is valued at $27,500, according to the sheriff’s office. Staff at the site on the 2200 block of Centralia-Alpha Road said sometimes guests leave the gate open, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

FAKE BIG BILLS

• Centralia police took a report about 1:30 p.m. yesterday of counterfeit $100 bills being passed at the Centralia Outlet stores.

DRUGS

• A 47-year-old Centralia man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine last night after a pipe with residue was located on his person at South Tower Avenue near the viaduct in Centralia, according to police. James A. Nix was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. He was to be released with charges filed pending further investigation.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning about a vehicle prowl at the 3300 block of Northeast Adams Avenue. The victim said he found his missing tackle box in the garbage near his apartment, but other property was still missing, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• The vehicle was locked but windows partially down and when its owner returned to the store’s parking lot, several items from inside it including pain medication were gone. Chehalis police were called about 4:30 p.m. yesterday to the 1100 block of South Market Boulevard took a report.

SHOPPER LEAVES DOG IN CAR

• A 40-year-old Tacoma resident was cited for animal cruelty after he allegedly left his dog inside his vehicle for more than an hour in 90 degree weather yesterday, while parked at the Centralia Outlets. An officer called about 1:30 p.m. to the 100 block of High Street found the Pit Bull laying across the seats, panting heavily and the windows slightly down. Vatsana Phaisan showed up about the time the officer did and said he didn’t think it had been long, that time got away from him, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ASSAULT

• A 36-year-old Vancouver man who reportedly fled after assaulting a woman outside a store on the 2900 block of Jackson Highway in Chehalis was picked up at his home by law enforcement from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Lewis County Jail. A deputy called on Sunday night was told a citizen intervened after the man choked the woman he was dating, hit her in the face several times, threw her to the ground and broke her phone, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The 48-year-old Chehalis woman said it began with an argument and she then thought he was going to kill her, according to the sheriff’s office. Jagwinder Singh was arrested for second-degree assault, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

MOTORCYCLE INCIDENT

• A male was cited after he lost control of his motorcycle yesterday afternoon at the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. Centralia police say he dropped his bike and was not not wearing a helmet, nor did he have a motorcycle endorsement. Spencer Baumgartner then walked back to work, Officer Patty Finch said.

COLLISIONS

• A driver was hospitalized after a single-vehicle wreck in Tenino on Saturday night, in which his car left the roadway at a corner and traveled down an approximately 20-foot embankment. Firefighters were called about 11 p.m. to the scene, on Bluemauer Road, just west of Crane Street, according to Thurston County Fire District 12. He was transported by paramedics to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, according to District 12.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday a 23-year-old Chehalis resident sustained a head injury when he reached for his cell phone and ran into a ditch and culvert at the 400 block of Avery Road East on Sunday. He was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital and cited for wheels off the roadway, according to the sheriff’S office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, disputes, hit and run, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft, dog inside hot vehicle; complaint of barking dog … and more.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, August 11th, 2014

Updated

ROADSIDE UN-ASSISTANCE

• An Elma man who left his tent trailer on the side of Interstate 5 with a flat tire returned the following morning to find it had vanished, but followed drag marks for roughly 10 miles to a driveway in Winlock. The tent trailer was recovered, and deputies who spoke with individuals at the 100 block of Lane Drive have a suspect, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The incident from Saturday remains under investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

FOOD FIGHT LANDS ONE IN JAIL

• A 38-year-old Centralia man was arrested for misdemeanor assault after throwing mashed potatoes on another customer at the 600 block of West Main Street in Centralia yesterday afternoon. Officers responded about 4:50 p.m. and booked Mitchell L. Galster, into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. Police called to Kentucky Fried Chicken for a disorderly person, found Galster had walked outside, and then was  confronted by a male coming through the drive through who got out of his vehicle, according to police. Officer Patty Finch said Galster reportedly flung the food onto the male and his vehicle. The officer noted Galster smelled highly of alcohol, Finch said.

LIVESTOCK SET FREE

• Centralia police took a report about 11 a.m. yesterday in which an individual at the 1900 block of Van Wormer Street said someone cut his fence and allowed his cows to escape.

AUTO THEFT MORTON

• Morton police took a report on Saturday from an individual who said his 1998 Subaru Legacy vanished sometime after midnight while he camped at Gust Backstrom Park. The loss is estimated at $5,000, according to the Morton Police Department.

BURGLARY CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police were called to the 2100 block of North National Avenue on Friday morning regarding the theft of various items from vendors during the night.

YOGI WANNABES

• Morton police were called about 2:40 a.m. on Friday to Gust Backstrom Park where a camper had chased what they thought were two teenagers going through their coolers. Nothing was missing, according to the Morton Police Department.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Chehalis police were called about 2 o’clock this morning regarding a car prowl on Northeast Washington Avenue.

• Chehalis police were called to Southwest Lewis Street early Saturday morning regarding a car prowl.

COLLISIONS

• A 64-year-old Packwood man was hospitalized after a single-vehicle wreck on U.S. Highway 12 today four miles east of Randle. Troopers called about 2:50 p.m. found Larry M. Henricksen was traveling eastbound when his Ford F350 pickup left the road to the right and rolled onto its top. The vehicle was totaled and impounded, according to the Washington State Patrol. The cause of the crash is under investigation, the state patrol reports. Henricksen was transported to Morton General Hospital.

• A 73-year-old Seattle woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle yesterday after the sport utility vehicle she was driving was hit by an oncoming car on state Route 123 about 10 miles east of Packwood. The Toyota Highlander spun around and went down an embankment, according to the Washington State Patrol. Her 84-year-old passenger, Dee J. McGonigle, also from Seattle, was injured and taken to Morton General Hospital, according to the state patrol. Troopers called about 1:20 p.m. to milepost three concluded a Honda Civic driven northbound by a 26-year-old Renton resident crossed over the centerline and hit the SUV in the driver’s side front end, according to the state patrol. The Renton man, Andrew J. Wilkerson, was also transported to the Morton Hospital, the investigating trooper reports. Both vehicles were described as totaled.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarms, disputes, bark fires, possible fraud, eggs thrown, loud nighttime music from a bar, collisions on city streets,  … and more.

One hundred individuals fighting wildfire in northwest Lewis County

Monday, August 11th, 2014

Updated at 1:28 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The forest fire west of Centralia is 10 percent contained this morning, but covers an area of 40 acres that began about three miles past the end of Teague Road yesterday.

Riverside Fire Authority’s public information officer reports this morning 100 people from Lewis, Pacific and Cowlitz counties are on the scene.

There is no threat to any structures currently, according to Capt. Scott Weinert.

Crews from the Centralia area fire department were called about 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon when a slash pile was discovered burning in a clear cut area off a logging road.

The speed at which the flames spread and in that type of landscape is something not often seen by Centralia firefighters, according to Chief Mike Kytta.

“It’s uncharacteristic for our area,” he said. “In my experience over the last 30 years, this is the third one.”

Personnel from the the state Department of Natural Resources were called in at the beginning, and arrived within about about a half hour, Kytta said.

The fire department described the terrain as rough, with 40-year-old timber on property owned by the state Department of Natural Resources. The area is a mix, with land owned also by three private timber companies in the vicinity, Kytta said.

The initial response included Kytta, Assistant Chief Mack, 12 firefighters and seven pieces of equipment.

“(Chief Mack) was seeing fire devils come through, where wind gets everything spinning like a tornado,” Kytta said. “Flames would shoot 60 feet up a tree in a matter of moments.”

The fire is some distance away from any homes, he said, indicating perhaps a half mile would have been the closest.

Kytta said the fire last night spread in a 360-degree pattern out from the point of origin, with flames pushing to the west.

The scene was turned over to DNR last night and Riverside crews assisted until dark.

Three loads of retardant were dropped from the air last night and helicopters will be used today, according to Weinert.

The National Weather Service this morning issued a red flag warning for dangerous fire weather, for nearly all of Western Washington. Thunder and lightening are predicted for tonight. Temperatures today in Centralia are forecast to be in the mid 90s.

The fire prompted a type three state mobilization.

DNR brought in additional resources this morning and set up a base of operations at Centralia High School. They are expecting to be on the fire through Saturday, according to Weinert.

Members of Riverside Fire Authority today are on standby, and ready to protect any structures or be available for any emergency medical services, according to Kytta.

The concerns today are two-fold, the chief said.

The “fuel package” is very dry, because of the stretch of hot weather and the area could get lightening tonight and the conditions that would bring, he said.

“You’ll have the wind pick up and that can cause spotting and spreading of the fire,” he said.

DNR today banned all outdoor burning on DNR protected lands, including campfires and offered a message to those who ignore them: Those who start or spread fires are subject to civil and criminal penalties.

Crane Street fire outside Tenino under control

Monday, August 11th, 2014

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A wild fire that started about two miles southeast of Tenino yesterday afternoon was contained last night but personnel from the  state Department of Natural Resources are at the fire station this morning and likely will be utilizing one of the school buildings as a base to support further work on that parcel and also on another fire that flared up yesterday evening.

Thurston County Fire District 12 was called about 3:11 p.m. to unimproved property at the 17200 block of Crane Street Southeast, on Bluemauer Hill for a brush fire reported to be about five feet by five feet, according to District 12 Battalion Chief Jim Fowler .

“Within just a few minutes, it was a 10-acre fire,” Fowler said this morning.

Members of nine other fire departments joined them, to work on extinguishing grass, brush, trees and other vegetation, he said.

By about 7:30 p.m., an eight-foot wide path was bulldozed around it, he said.

A shack and two vehicles on the 40-acre parcel burned, according to Fowler.

Crews arrived from as far away as Napavine to protect homes as close as 300 feet away, he said.

Fowler said the property previously belonged to a timber company, and he believes it now belongs to a man who uses it for outdoor parties, one of which began Friday night and went into Saturday night, he said.

The scene was turned over to DNR about 8 p.m.

Fowler said it grew to about 13 acres. A spokesperson from DNR last night described at around 20 acres.

Members of Tenino’s District 12 are assisting DNR with mopup there this morning, he said.

“Then of course there’s the threat of lightning over the next couple of days, so I think they’re going to stay,” Fowler said of DNR.

DNR is working a second fire that began last night about a mile to the east of the Crane Street fire, off Johnson Creek Road Southeast, at a gravel pit on timberland owner by Weyerhaeuser, according to Fowler.

A 10-person DNR hand crew is out there this morning “limbing” trees, he said. Fowler this morning said he understood that fire covered about six acres. It’s an area where there are no homes and can’t be accessed by trucks, he said.

Fowler has a DNR level three incident management team with him this morning at the fire station, and noted he understood the wildfire in Shelton that also began yesterday afternoon is pretty much out.

Timber ignites near clear-cut area west of Centralia

Sunday, August 10th, 2014
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Smoke from Teague Road fire viewed from Albany Street in Rochester. / Courtesy photo by Deb Meyers

Updated at 7:44 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Three large wildfires ignited this afternoon in Southwest Washington, all about the same time including west of Centralia and near Tenino, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

A fire off Teague Road in north Lewis County was reported to Riverside Fire Department about 3:10 p.m.

A spokesperson for DNR said it is burning in 40-year-old timber and threatening structures. Janet Pearce said she didn’t know if that meant homes or outbuildings.

The state agency has air resources on that fire, Pearce said.

Near Crane Road in Tenino, a brush fire has covered about 20 acres and also is threatening structures, according to Pearce. One structure and two vehicles had been lost before 7:30 p.m., according to a tweet from DNR

A third fire in Shelton is threatening the Simpson Lumber Mill, Pearce said about 7 o’clock this evening.

Riverside Fire Authority which protects Centralia and its surrounding area tweeted the brush fire began about three miles past the end of Teague Road in a clear-cut area and as of 6 p.m. had grown to 25 acres.

Ryan Weaver of Napavine said he and a friend went to visit a buddy on Deep Creek Road in Adna and as they were leaving, smelled smoke.

They took the logging road that goes to Teague Road and about halfway there, found a slash pile burning, Weaver said. Roughly two acres around it were on fire and spreading fast, so they called 911, he said.

Weaver said a plane was circling overhead and they warned a man who was out shooting a gun there was fire.

Riverside Fire Authority Firefighter-paramedic Chris Layton said there was no way to know this early how or why a slash pile was burning during the burn ban.

RFA’s public information officer notes fire managers are asking the public to stay clear of the area, as traffic is creating problems in the area on logging roads.

DNR tweeted at about 7:18 p.m. that 10 acres in grass and brush were burning in the Johnson Creek are of south Thurston County.

More information to come.

Meanwhile, follow comments, photos and updates from readers on Lewis County Sirens Facebook page.

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A burning slash pile is discovered off a logging road beyond Teague Road about 3 p.m. today. / Courtesy photo by Ryan Weaver