Firefighters contain fire to hopper at mill. / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Spontaneous combustion of compacted sawdust material inside a large hopper is suspected in an overnight fire at a mill in north Centralia.
Firefighters called at 3:50 a.m. to the plant at the end of Central Boulevard pulled their hoses but were able to flood the hopper instead by diverting water from plant piping, according to Riverside Fire Authority.
The fire did not spread to the rest of the structure, but the damage, including to insulation outside the hopper, is estimated at $25,000, according to Capt. Scott Weinert.
Nobody was injured. Crews were on the scene a couple of hours, Weinert said.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter