Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

August 6th, 2015
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COMMERCIAL BURGLARY CHEHALIS

• Someone broke into the sales office of a Chehalis area business and stole a Toshiba laptop computer sometime between 9 p.m. on Tuesday and 5 o’clock yesterday morning. The front door glass at Housing Mart / Country Financial on the 100 block of Hamilton Road North was broken out, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called to a just-discovered burglary at a business on the 400 block of South Tower Avenue about 11 p.m. yesterday. Someone forced their way in through a window and then unlocked a door, according to the Centralia Police Department. The victim is in the process of making a list of items that were taken, according to police.

TV TAKEN

• Someone stole a television from a travel trailer which was parked at the 400 block of East Locust Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon.

ELUDING

• A vehicle that failed to stop yesterday when an officer tried to pull it over on South Market Boulevard in Chehalis turned up later parked and unoccupied in a residential neighborhood, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The silver 2001 Mitsubishi was impounded, police said. It happened about 1:15 p.m. and a few hours later its owner called to say her vehicle was missing from Southwest 14th Street, police said. No arrest was made.

DRUGS

• A 28-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after contact with police at Washington Avenue and Main streets in Centralia early this morning. Shinell N. Englund was booked into the Lewis County Jail also for an outstanding warrant and driving with a suspended license, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CHILD NEGLECT

• Chehalis police were called about 4:50 p.m. to the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue about a child left alone in a parked vehicle. Further details were not readily available.

HOME CATCHES FIRE NEAR LITTLEROCK

• Firefighters called about 4:30 a.m. today to a residential structure fire west of Littlerock got inside and got the flames knocked down within about 30 to 40 minutes, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. “There was a lot of smoke when they got there, but everybody got out,” Battalion Chief Roger Stone said.  The mobile home on the 7300 block of 127th Avenue Southwest had damage through its roof and outside by the bathroom, Stone said. The cause may have been related to an electric fan, according to the fire department.

LAWNMOWER SPARKS GRASS FIRE

• Five fire department’s responded to a grass and brush fire in Rochester yesterday that scorched about two acres. Firefighters were called about 5:35 p.m. to the property on the 7700 block of Creekside Lane Southwest off Sargent Road, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. “It started in a guy’s back field area, I think he was mowing,” Battalion Chief Roger Stone said. One person was treated for burns to his legs, but not sent to the hospital, Stone said. The scene was turned over personnel from the state Department of Natural Resources. Stone said he believed it was ignited from the mower hitting a rock and causing a spark. Such sparks cause grass fires more easily than one would think, he said.

ON THE ROAD

• Police and firefighters responded about 8 p.m. yesterday to a five vehicle collision at Mellen and Yew streets in Centralia. Involved were two small pickup trucks, two passenger cars and a motorcycle, according to Riverside Fire Authority. Nobody was taken to the hospital, but two drivers were treated at the scene for minor cuts, according to the fire department. The driver of the motorcycle was evaluated for potential injuries and declined medical treatment and transport, the fire department reports.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespass, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, shoplifting, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street, a report of a vehicle theft that turned out to be a car that was impounded, various unfounded reports … and more.

News brief: Centralia-Alpha Road fire contained

August 6th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A bit of smoke is still rising from the approximately 12-acre wild fire southeast of Chehalis, and crews continue making progress extinguishing all of it.

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Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015

“It’s completely lined and we consider it 100 percent contained at this point,” Chuck Turley, assistant manager of the Pacific Cascade Region of the state Department of Natural Resources said this morning

Firefighters from numerous agencies responded Tuesday afternoon to the blaze roughly a half mile north of the intersection of Centralia-Alpha Road and North Fork Road.

The cause is as-yet unknown, but crews put out fires twice last week on the same property.

Turley expected DNR personnel could be working three or even four more days on this.

“The vegetation is really thick,” he said. “It’s going to require people on the ground digging it out.”

Turley said that’s one difference between wild fires on the east side of the mountains and the west side of the mountains.
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For background, read “Chehalis area wildfire knocked down but not contained” from Wednesday August 5, 2015, here

News brief: Mineral woman dies when motorcycle wrecks

August 6th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 52-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a single-vehicle accident yesterday evening in Mineral, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened about 7:15 p.m. on the 700 block of Mineral Creek Road, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning.

The woman was traveling northbound and it appeared she had been going too fast at a right sweeping curve, according to Brown. Her 1997 Harley Davidson left the road, went through a barbed wire fence and came to rest in an open field, Brown said.

The 52-year-old Mineral woman was pronounced dead at the scene. She wasn’t wearing a helmet, according to the sheriff’s office.

News brief: Questions unanswered on why infant was ejected in Jackson Highway crash

August 5th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said it’s not clear exactly what caused a baby to be ejected from the car in the wreck that left its driver dead on Sunday evening south of Chehalis.

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Jackson Highway, Chehalis

Deputies and firefighters responded just before 9:45 p.m. to the single-vehicle collision along the 3100 block of Jackson Highway.

Kelsie Gonzalez, 31, of Chehalis, was dead at the scene and her infant passenger was found outside of the car.

Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue Firefighter Brad Bozarth said the car hit a fence, a parked van and couple of trees before coming to rest against another tree, in someone’s yard.

The sheriff’s office’s initial information was Gonzalez was traveling southbound at a high rate of speed, and went airborne after striking a ditch.

Sheriff’s Cmdr. Dusty Breen said the 1-year-old’s car seat was still inside the 1990 Acura and secured in the car, but the straps which would have been holding the baby to its car seat were not fastened.

“Based on this it is unclear where the child was and how the exact ejection of the child occurred,” Breen indicated.

He said the baby was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where it was still undergoing treatment the following morning. He didn’t know if the child was a girl or a boy.

Breen said he expected to know more by Friday, as the investigating deputy would be finishing the report after days off.

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office said Gonzalez died from internal injuries from the impact.

News brief: Law enforcement impostor harassing citizens with phone calls

August 5th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Washington State Patrol is warning the public they believe their headquarters’ telephone has been compromised.

The state patrol says they’ve received 30 complaints from citizens saying they were phoned by someone who identified themselves as a trooper.

The apparent trooper impersonator has accused those who’ve answered the calls of various violations including outstanding warrants, unpaid tickets, and unpaid school taxes, according to state patrol Capt. Monica Alexander.

The state patrol does not call people to collect fines or advise of such things, according to Alexander.

She says they are currently working to remedy the problem and advises the public if they get such a call to do the following:

• Do not answer any questions
• Do not agree to pay any fines
• Do not share any personal information
• Hang up the telephone

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

August 5th, 2015
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BIKE PURSUIT

• A 49-year-old wanted man was apprehended this morning after allegedly stealing a bicycle from someone’s garage and trying to flee police. It began about 7:40 a.m. at the 1400 block of Johnson Road in Centralia and ended in the area of Russell Road, according to the Centralia Police Department. Booked into the Lewis County Jail for his warrant was Robert D. Ager, from Pierce County, police said.

FIGHTING IN PUBLIC

• Two individuals were arrested overnight for disorderly conduct and obstructing after police responded to a report of a fight at Main and Gold street in Centralia. Officers called about 12:45 a.m. found two males pushing and shoving each other and when they tried to break it up, a woman got in their way, according to the Centralia Police Department. Booked into the Lewis County Jail were Taylor R. Lively, age 21, and Victoria K. Miller, age 21, according to police.

DRUG INVESTIGATION

• Detectives searching a residence for drugs yesterday on the 500 block of Woodland Avenue in Centralia arrested three individuals, according to the Centralia Police Department. The search warrant was obtained in connection with an investigation by a joint narcotics enforcement team made up of personnel from local agencies, according to police. Booked into the Lewis County Jail on unspecified drug offenses were Gary Weist, 63; Debra M Weist, 58; and Kimberly J. Bartley, 47, according to police. Gary Weist however was immediately released because of serious health issues, police report.

PORCH FIRE

• Chehalis firefighters called about 3:15 p.m. yesterday to a fire at Southwest William Avenue at Sixth Street found a fence that ran the length of two yards burning as well as the porch on one of the homes. There was some smoke in the attic of the home and the damage estimated at about $10,000 according to the Chehalis Fire Department. Nobody was hurt and the flames were extinguished within six minutes of their notification, according to the fire department.

ON THE ROAD

• Police and aid were called just before 5 p.m. yesterday for a collision between a car and a moped at the 1500 block of North National Avenue in Chehalis. One person was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital with a possible broken leg, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, probation violation; responses for dispute, angry customer, misdemeanor  theft, suspicious circumstances, theft of grocery cart, collision on city street, dog alone inside presumably too-hot vehicle, possibly intoxicated pedestrian stumbling around, harassing phone calls from ex about child visitation … and more.

Chehalis area wildfire knocked down but not contained

August 5th, 2015
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Two helicopters drop water as dozens of firefighters on the ground work to stop a fire off Centralia-Alpha Road. / Courtesy photo by Lori Nelsen

Updated at 12:43 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A fire of unknown origin broke out southeast of Chehalis yesterday, growing to approximately 12 acres as it consumed brush and trees.

“The fire is knocked down, there’s not active fire now,” Chuck Turley, assistant manager of the Pacific Cascade Region of the state Department of Natural Resources said this morning. “We’re trying to keep it that way.”

Local firefighters called around 3 p.m. yesterday to the area roughly a half mile north of the intersection of Centralia-Alpha Road and North Fork Road headed towards a large smoke column and found a fairly large brush fire, Lewis County Fire District 6 Chief Tim Kinder said.

“We concentrated on a small farm at risk of being taken down,” Kinder said.

Crews from rural Chehalis, Napavine and Onalaska protected the small house until personnel from DNR arrived, he said.

DNR put into service more than 40 firefighters, a bulldozer and two helicopters which dropped water on the flames. A helicopter is on standby this morning.

The wind was swirling up above and constantly changing directions, Kinder said. “And it was a lot of heavy, thick brush.”

The active fire was knocked down last night and the last tender crew from Lewis County Fire District 6 was released about 7 o’clock this morning. Crews with two tenders from Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue were on the scene this morning, Kinder said.

Turley said they’ve dug a line around all but about 300 feet and consider it 60 percent contained this morning.

Fueling the blaze was standing timber as well as relatively newly planted trees, he said, with lots of blackberries and lots of salal.

It’s the third time in a week fire has sprung up on the property. Turley said his crews were out there last Tuesday and Wednesday.

“All I’ll say about that is the cause is under investigation,” he said.

Approximately 50 DNR personnel are working out there today, he said.

Turley said the lower temperatures and that the relative humidity came up overnight were helpful.

He’s expecting a four to five day reprieve with the weather and then on Tuesday it’s forecast to get very hot again, he said.

Turley said he’s not sure how much longer they will be out there.

“I would imagine it will take more than just today to get it completely controlled,” he said.

It was just last Friday when the Commissioner of Public Lands urged the public to take the utmost care not to spark fires, citing a combination of worsening conditions and the probability of multiple large fires by mid-week.

Seven active large fires are burning in the state currently, including one that broke out about 1 p.m. yesterday in Klickitat County and is already approximately 10,000 acres, according to authorities. That blaze, near the town of Roosevelt in south Central Washington called the Highway 8 Fire, is threatening 350 homes and evacuation orders have been put in place.

Several local firefighters departed yesterday evening to help out, including two from Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue, three from West Thurston Regional Fire Authority and two from Thurston County Fire District 12.