[1]Courtesy photo by Kim Lannoye
Updated at 11:43 a.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Crews are extinguishing a two-alarm house fire in Chehalis.
Chehalis Fire Department Chief Ken Cardinale said everyone got out alright of the two-story home at South Market Boulevard and 11th Street.
He expects they will be on scene a couple more hours.
The call came just after 5 o’clock this morning. They were joined by crews from Lewis County Fire Districts 6 and 5 as well as Riverside Fire Authority, according to Firefighter Steve Emrich.
Just before 8 a.m., the blaze was mostly put out.
“They’re going in to what’s called overhaul,” Emrich said. “Had the fire knocked down, opening up void spots, putting out spot fires.”
Emrich said the residence is still standing, but he believed at the very least sustained heavy fire damage to the second floor. It seemed to have started at the garage area and spread from there, he said.
A fire investigator is looking into the cause today.
The man and woman, in their mid-20s, along with a toddler were helped out of a second-floor dormer window by a neighbor or friend before the fire department arrived, according to Cardinale.
The chief said the house has no interior stairwell to the second level and the exterior stairs weren’t an option because of the fire.
They had been sleeping and she said she woke up to use the bathroom, heard the sound of rushing wind, saw a glow and then the fire at the back of the house.
The Red Cross was summoned to assist the residents.