Wildland fire breaks out southwest of Chehalis

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Firefighters from three departments were on scene until about 6 o’clock yesterday morning attacking a wildfire on Crego Hill in Adna.

Crews called just after midnight could see  hillside flames from Frogner Road and arrived to find a blaze of about 100 feet by 100 feet and growing, according to Lewis County Fire District 6.

Burning was about a half acre of underbrush and slash piles from a previous logging operation in very steep terrain, Firefighter DJ Hammer said.

They were joined by members of Lewis County Fire Districts 5 and 13, and requested the assistance of the Department of Natural Resources, according to Hammer.

“Crews were able to keep a steady attack on the fire until the first DNR engine crew arrived on scene at approximately 6 o’clock this morning,” Hammer said yesterday in a news release.

Nobody was injured. The fire was turned over to DNR at that time, according to Hammer.

The Lewis County Fire Chiefs Association is already preparing to share information with area residents about strategies to defend their property from the threat of wildfires.

The organization is targeting people who have built or live in homes on lands prone to wildfires, called the wildland-urban interface.

“Studies show that as many as 80 percent of homes lost to wildland fire may have been saved if brush around the homes were cleared and defensible space created around structures,” Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Scott Weinert writes. “There is no better time than now to prepare and educate your family, friends and neighbors.”

A town hall-style meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on June 2 at the Lincoln Creek Grange to present information on defending property from wildfire.

The meeting is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend.  The Lincoln Creek Grange is located at 1500 Lincoln Creek Road.

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