Smoke rises from the 1400 block of Alexander Street. / Courtesy photo by Joseph Bonomi
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Centralia police and firefighters responded to a call early this morning to a fire at a vacant single-story house frequented by unauthorized inhabitants.
It was found fully involved in flames and its roof eventually caved into its basement, according to the Centralia Police Department.
The home on the 1400 block of Alexander Street has been boarded up for some time, police Sgt. Kurt Reichert said.
Reichert said it’s a location where patrol officers have frequently found individuals staying there or trying to stay there. It has no electrical service, according to Reichert.
The fire department was not able to get inside and investigators likely won’t be able to either for quite awhile because of the remaining heat, Reichert said.
He said he understood a bull dozer would be brought in and that after materials are moved away, the basement will need to be pumped.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter