Structure Fire in Olympia
Greg Wright
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Olympia Fire Department
Date: July 13, 2018
Released by:
· Greg Wright, Fire Chief
· 360.239.2797 cell
Structure Fire
Olympia Firefighters responded to a reported residential fire at 1900 block of 12th Avenue, SE at 10:10 pm Thursday night. Multiple calls to 9-1-1 reported a large fire on the property.
Firefighters arrived to find a very large shop next to a residence. The shop and some vehicles were fully involved in fire with fuel tanks venting and exploding. The two (2) residents and their dog were outside. The man reported that he had multiple large propane tanks, welding tanks, diesel barrels and other tanks along with a large number of vehicles inside and around the shop.
Firefighters immediately attacked the fire from a distance using large bore fire streams to cool tanks and begin to extinguish the multiple areas of fire. Overhead wires were present adding to the danger to firefighters. A second alarm was called to bring additional firefighters to the scene.
The fire spread to the residence on the property and many of the vehicles. The shop, house and multiple vehicles were a total loss. Five houses that bordered the property were evacuated by the Olympia Police Department. Those evacuated residents will be out of their homes for the rest of the night due to the danger of continued fire but their homes did not appear to be damaged. Olympia Police and Public Works blocked off a several block area. Public Works crews monitored the water supply and tracked the run-off. The Department of Ecology responded to observe the run-off into natural drainage areas. Ecology did not find any concerns with the run-off. As this fire scene bordered Interstate 5, that roadway was also checked for standing water from the firefighting effort but no issues were found.
The majority of the fire was knocked down by 12:30 am, but tanks continue to burn off fuel. Hose streams continued to be used throughout the night to control the fire and keep the remaining tanks cool as the rest of the fire burns out. At first light, Fire Investigators and members of the City of Olympia Building Department will assess the scene if all of the tanks have finished burning. Once all fire is out, the stability of the buildings will be evaluated for fire investigation and to assist the owner in salvage.
Olympia Fire Department responded with four engines, one ladder truck, two medic units and a command unit. The second alarm brought engines from Lacey Fire District 3, Thurston Fire Protection Districts 8 and 9 and City of Tumwater. Mutual aid units were returned home as the fire was brought under control. There were minor eye injuries to two Olympia firefighters, neither of those injuries required a hospital visit. The residents were not injured.
The cause of the fire is undetermined pending investigation on Friday morning. The property loss figures are not yet available.
One picture below and more pictures at Olympia Fire Department on Twitter.
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