[1]Smoke billows from home on Oxford Avenue in Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Mandy Wilson
Updated
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Arriving firefighters this evening found a north Centralia home fully engulfed in flames and a house next door beginning to burn.
Four fire departments responded to the 6:18 p.m. call to the blaze on the 1500 block of Oxford Avenue, according to Riverside Fire Authority.
They conducted a defensive – exterior – attack, according to Fire Lt. Mark Stahl.
Nobody was injured, but the two-story house is a total loss, along with two sheds and a travel trailer, according to Riverside.
A department spokesperson indicated an elderly woman and some grown grandchildren were there at the time, but everyone got out. Fire Chief Mike Kytta said three cats were missing.
The cause is under investigation. The resident is being assisted by the American Red Cross, according to the chief.
Although a Go-Fund-Me account set up by an individual identifying herself as a granddaughter states the 86-year-old owner lost everything due to someone letting off fireworks, the process is still underway to rule in and rule out potential causes, according to Kytta.
“Interviews and physical evidence is being processed by our team and that will take some time to complete,” Kytta stated.