Firefighters spray water on a building that was fully engulfed after catching an adjacent house caught fire early on Sunday morning in Vader. No major injuries were reported in the fire, but three structures caught fire on the corner of 9th Street and A Street.
Firefighters spray water on a house that was fully engulfed early on Sunday morning in Vader. No major injuries were reported in the fire, but three structures caught fire on the corner of 9th Street and A Street.
Firefighters spray water on a house that was fully engulfed early on Sunday morning in Vader. No major injuries were reported in the fire, but three structures caught fire on the corner of 9th Street and A Street.
Smoke from multiple house fires engulfs A Street in Vader on Sunday morning.
A firefighter trains his hose on a fire in that destroyed two buildings in Vader Sunday.
Ninth and A St., Vader (Sept. 2012, Google Streetview / Maps)
VADER — Just before 9 a.m. Sunday, a fire broke out in a home at the intersection of Ninth and A streets in Vader, eventually destroying the building and an adjacent structure once used as a community hall in the South Lewis County town.
No one was seriously harmed, though a firefighter was treated for a leg injury at Providence Centralia hospital.
The blaze quickly overwhelmed firefighters and spread to the nearby, vacant building, known formerly in the community as Glen Davis Hall.
According to Doug McGinnis, 65, the community hall was the longtime location for local Boy Scout meetings.
"We had a lot of fun back in that hall when I was a Boy Scout," said McGinnis, a former firefighter who retired about two years ago.
"I hate to see that, damn it," McGinnis continued as the smoke from the fire surrounded the neighborhood and left an oppressive haze throughout the town. "This town don't have enough right now already."
A large, black plume of smoke could be seen by drivers on Interstate 5 at the peak of the blaze.
Radiant heat ignited the inside of the house. Firefighters tried to battle the blaze inside, but the size of the fire and intense heat drove them out. The blaze quickly spread to the former community building, within approximately 25 minutes of the initial report of the fire. The Quonset-hut style building was privately owned and was being used for storage.
The north outside wall on the Masonic Lodge was on fire when crews arrived and was quickly extinguished.
Cowlitz-Lewis Fire District was first at the scene.
Cowlitz County Fire District in Castle Rock was quick to respond to the tone for aid with additional fire units and manpower. Crews from Lewis County Fire Districts in Winlock, Toledo and Napavine also responded. About 40 total firefighters were on the scene.
Crews took down the old community hall building with an excavator because the construction style of the building and lack of entry points to put water through made it too difficult to battle the fire. Chief Richard Underdahl, with the Vader Cowlitz combined district, said it took about 10 hours to knock the fire down and crews returned to put out some hot spots during the night, primarily in the old community hall.
Smith said the community is grateful to the fire districts that responded.
“I would express our collective appreciation to their efforts to minimize the damage that took place,” he said.
Bystanders reported to The Chronicle that residents who lived in the home where the fire originated escaped before the home was fully engulfed.
According to a Monday press release, no residents were located at the scene. However, Underdahl said he was later informed that the three residents got out OK and one went to the hospital.
One firefighter received a leg injury and was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital via private vehicle.
Underdahl said crews rescued two kittens that were in shrubs near the old community center. He said the kittens, likely strays, were frightened but uninjured.
“You know firefighters. We protect all life,” Underdahl said. “We weren’t going to let anything happen to the little kittens.”
A fire investigator responded to the scene Sunday and is expected to continue investigating the fire today.
