On the morning of August 3rd at 6:58 a.m. Longview Fire and Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue were dispatched to a possible structure fire at 805 7th Ave., Longview, WA. The initial report of the fire came from a bus driver from Three Rivers Christian School, who was passing by and noticed the smoke emitting from a two story apartment building.
Longview Fire arrived within 3 minutes of dispatch and reported a working fire on the second floor of a stand-alone apartment building. The initial arriving Engine Company was assigned fire control and primary search on the 2nd floor apartment. Firefighters entered the “Oxygen-Starved -Vent-limited Fire” which produced thick black ‘Zero Visibility’ smoke which filled the apartment from the ceiling to the floor. Firefighters entered the fire dragging a hose-line while crawling on their bellies where the conditions were more tenable. Once inside the apartment unit firefighters could hear an adult female crying out for help.
Firefighters quickly located the victim and removed her from the smoke filled unit that still had active fire burning in multiple locations. The patient was treated quickly on-scene and transported by AMR in critical condition to St. John Medical Center. At this time we have no update on the patient’s condition.
After initial rescue efforts concluded, firefighters continued to battle the fire, containing the fire to the one apartment unit that was initially involved. The apartment unit sustained significant damage and is not habitable. The apartment unit below the fire unit suffered minor smoke damage and the balance of the units were undamaged.
The fire remains under investigation while the investigators process the scene for origin and cause. Longview Servpro was called to provide board up and security measures. Damage estimates are unknown at this time.
In total 3 Engines and 1 Truck and 13 personnel operated at the fire scene. There were no other reported injuries to firefighters or the public.
Every year in the United States over 400 people die in apartment fires and approximately 4,400 people are injured. Remember, no matter how fire-safe you are, what your neighbors do will affect you.
The best defense against a fire is to:
- If You See Something, Do Something or Say Something. General fire hazards are everyone’s responsibility.
- Prepare your family on how to react and escape in case of a fire. And remember, a home escape plan starts with Working Smoke Alarms
A 6-acre brush fire moved rapidly through brush, trees and grasses due to high winds at the Mint Farm industrial area in Longview, Washington Tuesday afternoon. Crews from Longview Fire Department, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue, and Washington State Department of Natural Resources sent Engine Companies, Brush Units, Water Tenders and Command Officers to help battle the blaze. Immediately threatened was a BPA electrical sub-station, as well as a high potential to threaten residential homes downwind if the fire was not contained.
Crews deployed hoselines, set-up master streams, and dug lines around the fire to keep it from spreading. The crews worked for about 90 minutes extinguishing the fire and cooling hot spots. DNR and Longview Firefighters continued for another hour digging into the burned areas ensuring all vegetation was extinguished.
There was no damage to any property, other than the burned brush, trees and grasses. There is no specific cause for the fire.
Battalion Chief Blake Tomlinson
Longview Fire Department