Apartments Destroyed in Wind-Fueled Washington Fire
Source Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.
SUNNYSIDE, Wash. -- Fueled by strong winds, an apartment fire in Sunnyside early this morning destroyed one eight-unit building and damaged two units in the building next door.
Firefighters responded to a call at about 5:30 a.m. and found a second-story apartment in flames at 910 E. Harrison Ave. It took about an hour to initially get the fire under control, but firefighters stayed on scene for several more hours putting out smaller, hidden fires throughout the building.
The Sunnyside Fire Department, City of Grandview, Granger City, Prosser Fire District #3 and Yakima County Fire District #5 all sent crews to the scene, for a total of 25 firefighters.
Officials are still investigating, but they say the cause of the fire may have been barbecue briquettes that were stored close to combustible materials and weren't properly extinguished.
It's unclear whether there were any injuries as a result of the fire.
A temporary aid shelter has been set up by the Red Cross at Chief Kamiakin Elementary School on East Lincoln in Sunnyside.
Copyright 2012 - Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
