Updated at 11:22 a.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Crews called to a house fire east of Napavine just before 11 p.m. found smoke coming from all sides and called in help from three neighboring districts.
The single-story home on the 300 block of Forest Napvine Road East was unoccupied, according to Lewis County Fire District 5.
District 5 spokesperson Lt. Laura Hanson said the kitchen, dining and laundry rooms were heavily burned. The 1,500-square-foot wood structure sustained smoke damage throughout, according to Hanson.
The house was undergoing some renovation between renters; it’s owner resides in an RV on the back of the property, according to Chief Eric Linn. A passing motorist saw smoke and woke up the owner, he said.
It seemed to have begun in the laundry room, Linn said.
“He said before he went to bed, he threw some clothes in the dryer,” he said.
The chief said it had been burning for awhile before the fire department was called. Flames from the laundry room rose into the attic and then ran the full length of the building, dropping fires into other rooms, he said.
Firefighters were on the scene until about 4 a.m.