[1]One acre in Rochester is scorched / Courtesy photo by West Thurston Regional Fire Authority
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Crews from three fire departments were joined by wildland firefighters from the state Department of Natural Resources at a 3:30 p.m. brush fire in Rochester yesterday.
Lt. Lanette Dyer of West Thurston Regional Fire Authority reports one acre burned on the unimproved property along 180th Way Southwest near Albany Place.
A nearby homeowner called 911 after seeing smoke and observing five young people fleeing the scene, Dyer said in a news release.
The wind-driven flames were quickly contained, according to Dyer. A small shed was saved, she said.
DNR brought in a 10-person crew from Cedar Creek Corrections Center near Littlerock to mop up, she stated.
The fire was suspicious and was turned over to DNR and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office to investigate its origins, according to Dyer.
The blaze came about the same time residents from Centralia to Napavine were reporting haze and smoke over the area that local fire officials attributed to the large wild fire burning in Cle Elum, east of the mountains.
Later in the evening, at least one Lewis County fire crew joined firefighters north of Castle Rock where a five-acre brush fire ignited, according to The (Longview) Daily News [2].