Courtesy photo by Dustin Lampien
Updated
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Authorities have asked at least two households to evacuate as firefighters battle a blaze including one home and a building that formerly housed a youth center in Vader.
Twenty-three-year-old Dustin Lampien said his house across the street is infiltrated with smoke.
“I’m actually getting all the kids clothes and getting out,” Lampien said in a brief phone conversation at about noon. “We’re getting evacuated, as are the neighbors, who have six kids.”
His wife has already taken their four children, ages five and younger, to his mother’s home, he said.
Lampien said it was around 9 a.m. or even 8:30 a.m. when he noticed the house across the street was on fire.
“I heard an explosion, like something blew up, and smoke started billowing out the front and left side of the house,” he said.
He said his understanding was the owner was away, but the owner’s son and two others are staying there. They’re all accounted for, Lampien said.
Lampien lives on A Street near Ninth Street in the tiny South Lewis County town.
He said 40 to 60 foot flames were still rising from the former youth center and fire crews were actively battling that fire.
“The roof just collapsed about five minutes ago,” Lampien said.
He described it as a very large building, with a metal roof, currently being used as storage of “a lot of antiques.”
Cowlitz-Lewis Fire District 20 Chief Richard Underdahl said the quonset hut type structure had no windows and crews tried to fight the fire from inside but finally backed out.
His department was joined by personnel from fire departments from Castle Rock, Toledo, Winlock and Napavine.
The Masonic Hall building on the south side of the house sustained exterior fire damage as well, he said.
Courtesy photo by Dustin Lampien
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
They either can’t afford birth control or they believe Jesus wants them to ‘populate the Earth’.
forget the fire-23 years old and 4 kids already and the neighbors have 6 kids-wow, what is Vader, a kid breeding ground? just saying