By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
No injuries were reported but four people were displaced when a fire broke out early this morning in Rochester.
Firefighters called about 3:25 a.m. to the home on the 13,000 block of Southwest 188th Avenue found a garage fully engulfed in flames, a travel trailer destroyed and fire heading into the attic of the house.
A jet of flames was shooting about 100 feet into the air from two large presumed home-heating propane tanks which were venting, West Thurston Regional Fire Authority Chief Robert Scott said this morning.
The occupants were already out of the home and at the neighbor’s when he arrived, Scott said.
West Thurston firefighters joined by crews from Oakville, Tenino and McLane/Black Lake had the blaze under control within 25 minutes, according to Scott.
Firefighters were on the scene until about 7:30 this morning, and investigators will likely be there a few more hours, Scott said.
Only the upper part of the single-story home was burned, but the house sustained substantial smoke damage, Scott said.
The chief said he believed one of the four people was living in the 25-foot travel trailer.
“It appears the fire may have started in the trailer, but that’s not for sure,” Scott said.
The fire department made a referral to the Red Cross for assistance to the residents, he said.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter