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Kelso, WA – Firefighters from Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Cowlitz County Fire District 6 (Castle Rock), and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) responded to a brush fire that was threatening a home Monday afternoon at 4pm in the 200 block of Astro Drive. Firefighters arrived and reported a 30 by 50-foot fire burning up the hillside, twenty feet from a home. Firefighters attacked the fire with multiple hose lines and had it under control within minutes. Four brush engines, two water tenders, and two Chief officers and two DNR supervisors responded to the call. The cause of the fire is under investigation by DNR, but was believed to be accidental by the homeowner. The final size of the fire was estimated to be just under ½ acre. No injuries were reported.
Fire officials remind the public to always adhere to county burn regulations and be extra cautious when it has been warm and dry for several days. Operations Chief Kurt Stich comments on the event, “Burning can get out of control quickly even in Spring months when fuels have dried out some. Also, wind and topography always play a role in how fast fires grow so be aware of these factors. If this occurred in Summer months this would have been a much larger fire with potential property loss or worse.”
For more information on safe burning visit: https://www.swcleanair.gov/
Kelso, WA – Firefighters from Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue and Cowlitz Fire District # 5 (Kalama) will be intentionally burning a donated house down, for training purposes, at 218 PG Sweet Rd Saturday at 9am. Firefighters are required to train in a “live burn” capacity every three years if they have not responded to an active structure fire within that time. This live burn training allows newer and less experienced firefighters to get valuable hands-on experience and meets the state requirement.
The training event is open to the media for viewing and photos. Parking is limited at the site; shuttles will be provided from Coweeman Middle School parking lot to the site, provided by Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue. The event starts at 9 am and will conclude around 3pm.
Several safety considerations and inspections are involved before a donated house is deemed safe for use for a training burn. For more information about donating a home contact Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue at (360) 578-5218.