By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The owners of a Winlock warehouse that went up in flames last summer and their insurance company have already forked out more than $200,000 for the contractors who conducted cleanup and demolition, and now the state Department of Ecology has sent a bill for its response.
[1]August 18, 2015
The 15,000 square-foot building held pallets of grocery products, including 1,130 gallons of vegetable oils. Runoff from the fire’s extinguishment spilled into the nearby Olequa Creek, killing as many as 100,000 fish over a stretch of three and a half miles.
Ecology and other agencies oversaw the response for more than two weeks after the August 18 fire. After any oil spill response, Ecology is required by state law to follow up with enforcement, including reimbursement for state expenses, the state agency said in a news release.
DOE has directed Olympic Trading Company to reimburse the state for its costs of $30,887.
The work at Northwest Kerron Street, just south of Laurel Street, included the collection and removal of 65,500 gallons of contaminated water and 25 cubic yards of oiled sorbents and contaminated soil, according to DOE.
The owners are Patricia and Michael Parish, who reside in the Winlock area, Fire Investigator Samuel Patrick said at the time.
Investigators have not found a cause for the fire.
Early on, officials reported finding all species and sizes of fish, insects and other living organisms were killed for five miles downstream, but revised the distance. DOE indicates some endangered species perished. Olequa Creek is a tributary to the Cowlitz River.
The state agency also issued Olympic Trading Company a $1,000 fine. The company has 30 days to appeal the penalty and cost reimbursement.
In its news release, DOE noted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a separate assessment for the value of damages to the environment.
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For background, read “Authorities: Stay out of Winlock creek, avoid contaminated runoff from warehouse fire” from Friday August 21, 2015, here [2]