By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Firefighters spent the early morning hours extinguishing a fire that swept through a pair of barns in the Salkum-Onalaska area.
Crews were called about 3:20 a.m. to the 800 block of Gore Road where the two side-by-side buildings were found fully engulfed in flames, according to Lewis County Fire District 8.
Chief Duran McDaniel said it was the glow that woke the owners, which was also visible from his own residence down the road.
By the time he arrived, the roof of one of the structures was gone and only its posts left standing, McDaniel said.
An unspecified number of cattle apparently left the barn on their own, although the owner was still searching for one calf this morning, according to McDaniel.
Lost in the fire were two tractors, a fifth-wheel trailer and lots of hay, McDaniel said.
“They did manage to get several other vehicles away from the buildings,” he said.
District 8 was assisted by firefighters from Onalaska, Mossyrock and Napavine, he said.
A fire investigator is looking into the cause.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter