Fire erupts in the backyard of a West Walnut Street house. / Courtesy photo by Crystal Bowman
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Flames ravaged a detached garage behind a home last night, the second such incident in Centralia in less than a week.
Both fires are being investigated as arsons.
Centralia police arrived first after the approximately 8 p.m. call to the 1000 block of West Walnut Street, offering helpful early information, according to Riverside Fire Authority.
“We showed up, it was a fairly good-sized garage,” Firefighter-paramedic Jade Gross said. “We attacked it from the alleyway.”
Gross said the owner was alerted by older neighborhood children who spotted the fire and pounded on her door so she could call 911.
The crew was joined by firefighters from Chehalis and were on the scene until about midnight, Gross said.
Inside the structure and ruined were a small pickup truck, a motorcycle and a large amount of other personal property, he said.
“It was a complete loss,” Gross said.
Also burned was a travel trailer, some of a neighbor’s fence and outdoor children’s toys, he said.
A fire investigator was expecting to examine the scene today. Centralia police indicate there was no good explanation for the fire, and it is currently classified as an arson.
The garage’s doorless entry opened to the alley, according to Gross.
Early last Sunday morning, a large shed was destroyed by fire on the 1100 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia; it was in a backyard adjacent to the railroad tracks. The rear of the house in that 2:30 a.m. blaze sustained minor damage.
Nobody was hurt in either incident.
Looking toward what remains inside the destroyed garage from next door neighbor’s backyard. / Courtesy photo by Aaron Cogburn
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter