FIRE CLAIMS SALKUM HOUSE, PETS
• A Salkum family escaped a fire last night that destroyed their home and killed several pets. Firefighters from three departments called about 12:20 a.m. to the 100 block of Orchard Drive off Spencer Road found the two-story house fully engulfed in flames, according to Lewis County Fire District 8 Assistant Chief Don Taylor. It was an open loft-type construction so the fire had a lot of room to build, Taylor said. It was finally contained after about two hours, he said. One woman trying to get her animals out suffered smoke inhalation, but didn’t want to go the hospital, according to Taylor. Two other adults and three small children were fine, he said. A Labrador dog and one cat got out, but four small dogs were found deceased under a bed, he said. There was one bright spot, according to Taylor. “We assumed because of the intensity of the fire all the unaccounted-for pets had perished” but beneath the pile of dogs, a cat was found alive, he said. Firefighters administered oxygen to the singed cat and this morning it was going to be taken to a veterinarian, he said. The fire seemed to have begun in the garage area, he said.
ONALASKA PANTRY FIRE EXTINGUISHED
• Firefighters were called just before 1 o’clock this morning to a home off Middle Fork Road in Onalaska where wood stove ashes had begun smoldering in a waste basket in a pantry. A father got the family outside safely and the damage was minimal, Lewis County Fire District 1 Chief Mark Conner said.
THEFT
• A deputy took a report yesterday of several thousand dollars worth of tools and various equipment stolen from an outbuilding on the 5500 block of Jackson Highway near Toledo, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It occurred sometime between Monday and Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s office.
• A Playstation and a compressor were among the items missing after a burglary to a house and garage on the 300 block of North Buckner Street in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department. It was reported at noon time yesterday.
• A Centralia man who got up early yesterday morning to walk his dog discovered both his $8,000 mower and the car trailer it had been loaded onto missing. A deputy called about 7 a.m. to the 1500 block of South Schueber Road was told they had been parked in front of the man’s shop the night before. The mower is red and the home made trailer is 18-feet long and black, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
• Centralia police took a report of a vehicle prowl to a motor home yesterday evening from the 1100 block of Crosby Avenue.
WOMAN ARRESTED AFTER SEEKING SHELTER IN TRAVEL TRAILER
• A 46-year-old woman was arrested overnight after she broke into a travel trailer in Centralia apparently seeking a warm place to stay, according to the Centralia Police Department. Police called just after midnight to the 300 block of North Iron Street found a heater inside had been turned on but nothing missing. Lisa A. Palmer, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for burglary, according to police.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND STUCK ON RAILROAD TRACKS
• A 70-year-old driver was arrested after he somehow got his vehicle stuck on railroad tracks in Centralia and was found to be driving under the influence of drugs. Police called about 7:15 p.m. yesterday to the 900 block of South Tower Avenue booked James G. Hangartner into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.
THREE-YEAR-OLD PEDESTRIAN SURVIVES NEAR MISS BY PASSING VEHICLE
• A toddler escaped injury yesterday when she apparently got out of her father’s hand stepped into a Centralia street and was brushed by a passing vehicle. Police and aid called about 6:50 p.m. to Main and Rock streets said the 3-year-old girl was unhurt. The “bump” apparently spun her around but didn’t knock her down, Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Ken Colombo said. The driver was not cited, according to police.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter