Courtesy photo by Gharrett Lamping
Updated at 11:15 a.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Firefighters are on the scene this morning at the vacant Riverside Motel on Harrison Avenue near Bridge Street in Centralia across from the Goodwill.
Crews called just before 2 a.m. found heavy fire in the northwest portion of the single story buildings.
Riverside Fire Authority was joined by the Chehalis Fire Department and members of West Thurston Regional Fire Authority out of Rochester.
Assistant Chief Rick Mack said at about 10:45 a.m., they are continuing to put out hot spots and conducting overhaul with the help of an excavator.
“We are doing that rather carefully because we had reports transients were living here and they are unaccounted for,” Mack said.
A homeless person told authorities they brought dinner to one inhabitant there last night and he and police are currently trying to locate him, Mack said. They are also trying to find a second male believed to have been staying there, he said.
The property has long been vacant and was on track to be demolished for development, Mack said. It had a fire three or four years ago, one in which a cause was never determined, he said
It’s owned by a Centralia woman, who is in the process of selling it, he said.
Harrison Avenue was closed but has been reopened.
One firefighter was injured with a laceration to their hand, and was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital where they were treated and have been released.
More than 20 firefighters operated together until getting control of the blaze about 6:45 a.m., according to the fire department. Mack said two of three mobile structures separate from the original building were destroyed. Each held eight motel rooms, he said.
Crews will remain there today sifting through the debris as they look for the cause, according to Mack.
Update at 2:15 p.m.: The fire department is done for the day there. They did not find any body amongst the rubble. And it’s not safe enough to continue at the site in their effort to determine the cause, according to Mack.
Courtesy photo by Gharrett Lamping
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Courtesy photo by Gharrett Lamping
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Remains of two of the sections from the northwest corner of the single-story complex are strewn about after they burned and were sifted through with an excavator.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Looks like I ruffled the “Penguins” feathers a little…..and the homeless comment was agreeing with Amazed….none of that was to you!
No More Bull says: Well it is nice for people to use nicknames on their entries here. As you can see I use my real name cause I am not afraid to state things as I see them. As this person has done with whatever this name means. I did not say I was an angel as you seem to think you are. I said nothing about homeless people at all. I have nothing against a homeless person. We all have had our downs. I really do not know what you are talking about living in a van down by the river back by the ranch. Its nice how people can condemn someone as I can see in all of these statements on here and can not use their real names. So much for freedom speech and standing up for your name. If you can’t use your real name then why even comment on anything at all. Cause your comment don’t mean nothing if you can’t use your name. If you want to talk about me then use your name and quit hiding behind a nickname…
I watched the fire from when the firemen got there to when it was put out. They did an amazing job. The fire was started by a cold, homeless person trying to stay warm. Knowing that alot of homeless were living in the building the firemen searched both buildings while it was at the peak of the blaze. It took a while to create openings big enough to get a reasonable amount of the extinguishing liquids to the core of the fire. After fighting it for 3 hours they decided to make it a controlled burn because it is scheduled for demolition. Not only that if it was a “conspiracy” why didn’t they let the third trailer or the motel burn when they are both ibut a few feet away? Also as someone experienced in the field of demolition it really isn’t any more expensive to run a excevator through the building and clean it up then just cleaning up burnt rubble. You should be greatful for the men and women of the fire department instead of uneducated speculation on the cause of the fire and motives of the folks fighting it.
Troy, you are as much an ignorant buffoon as you have ALWAYS been. Talk about wasting taxpayer dollars…..you have a checkered past of your own! I sure hope no one was hurt or worse! Agree with amazed…homeless people are still people! Their lives may not matter to most of this godforsaken county, but they were FAMILY to some one! If not, then probably a family to each other! Yes that POS eyesore is going to b gone son, that’s great news…..as for Auto Zone setting it on fire, that is ignorant. Yet ignorance can be bliss to some! Especially a high hog attitude towards most, when reality is that person looking down his nose at others SHOULD be taking a long hard look in the mirror! Oh, and used to live in a van…..down by the river…..back at the ranch!
Really people? Transients live there continuously when the weather gets really cold. It’s more likely that someone started a fire to stay warm just as they do under the Harrison st. I-5 overpass. But for the sake of all assumptions I hope they do find the cause & not anyone dead. Homeless or not, transients are still human beings.
What a way to save a few dollars for AutoZone. Burn the place down some how and make the tax payers pay for the fire being put out. Now all they have to pay for is clean up a saving of about $10,000+. If they find out that AutoZone had a connection to it they should make them pay all the emergency services and cancel the building permit to build there.
What a coincidence, just when they announce that they’re going to tear it down. I wonder if something is hidden in that place that someone didn’t want the police to find.