Small fires set inside the empty Symons warehouse didn’t harm the building.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CENTRALIA – Authorities don’t believe last night’s fire set inside a vacant warehouse in a Centralia neighborhood is connected to a string of arsons last month, but they still want to find out who lit it.
Firefighters called about 7:30 p.m. to a report of smoke coming from the large brick-sided building found a fire small enough they put it out with a portable extinguisher.
It was in the center of the structure, fueled by books and other items assembled from the facility, Riverside Fire Authority Assistant Chief Rick Mack said.
There was actually more than one fire set, but all were on the concrete portion of the floor and none caused any structural damage, he said.
Mack said it didn’t seem as though someone was trying to destroy the building. It could have been devastating if that happened, he said.
“But still, that’s not okay,” he said.
Neighbors call it the cannery, but Mack described it as a cold storage warehouse.
It takes up a city block in between F and G streets and Fourth and Fifth streets.
One of the reasons authorities aren’t linking last night’s incident to the five fires in May is none of those buildings were entered, Mack said.
In a three-hour span during the early morning hours of May 3, fire crews were called to two churches, a coffee stand and Centerville, the western store at the north end of the Centralia Outlets. After daylight, they learned of a failed attempt at a third church.
Longtime area resident Hazel Ragan recalls the now vacant warehouse once was owned by Ocean Spray and last belonged to Symons Frozen Foods. Ryan Rayburn who lives across the street said it a busy operation until about two years ago.
“Squatters probably, that what I figured it was,” Rayburn said. “Squatters in there using the vents for a chimney.”
Police are working with Mack, who is the city’s fire investigator. They don’t have any suspects yet, he said this afternoon.
“We did recover some evidence from the fire,” Mack said. “We’ll be using that as we move forward.”
Mack is asking anyone who saw anyone in the area before the fire to please contact him or the Centralia Police Department.
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For background, read: “Early May north Centralia church fire could also be arson, officials now say” from Monday May 20, 2013, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter