By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Chehalis Fire Department Chief Ken Cardinale said they are looking at a malfunction of the hay baler as causing the fire that burned through acres of fields yesterday along Rice Road in south Chehalis.
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The chief said about 30 firefighters from around the county worked to extinguish the flames and personnel from the state Department of Natural Resources were called in.
Several structures were threatened but none were damaged, he said.
It was a fast moving fire through hay fields, fanned by winds of 15 to 20 mph, he said.
Key to getting it under control, was getting a bull dozer from Lewis County Public Works that cut a fire line, he said.
“The dozer coming in at the time that they did was instrumental,” Cardinale said.
The chief was deeply appreciative of law enforcement shutting down the two-lane, shoulderless Rice Road, noting it felt like everyone in Chehalis decided to drive by.
“It’s like moths to a flame,” he said. “They don’t realize.”
Early this morning, Cardinale said he understood the fire covered a bit more than 100 acres before it was stopped.
A spokesperson for DNR said later this morning it was measured by GPS at 66 acres.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Lies and half truths are the incompetent person’s best friends.
Always expect a lie from a Lewis County Official, it’s in their nature to lie cheat and steal from the tax payers they lie too.
66 acres, 100 acres, why not over 1,000 acres burned, maybe it was a gazillion. Sounds like fish stories to me. Typical of Lewis county fire agencies. Always much worst sounding than it truly was. Just give us more tax dollars because we’re extraordinary heroes, just ask us!