Palouse firefighters busy over Fourth of July holiday
An abandoned structure in LaCrosse caught fire and three small blazes were reported in Pullman
Fireworks were the cause of several blazes in the area over the Fourth of July holiday.
An abandoned structure in LaCrosse, Wash., was engulfed by flames and three small fires were started in Pullman.
Whitman County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Bryce Nebe said an old schoolhouse on Washington State Route 26 near LaCrosse was set ablaze by a single firework Thursday afternoon. The fire began in a dry brush field that spread and ignited the building.
He said no one was hurt during the blaze. Volunteers from Whitman County Fire District 13 in Lacrosse, along with the Colfax Fire Department, battled the fire.
Mike Heston, fire chief at the Pullman Fire Department, said firefighters extinguished three small blazes in town Thursday. He said all were started by fireworks, and no one was hurt during the incidents.
The first began on a hillside along Grand Avenue on Thursday evening. Heston said the fire burned dry brush and was put out before threatening any structures.
Later that night, he said a juniper bush was burned on McKenzie Street. The fire extended to a vehicle that was damaged during the blaze.
A third fire burned a tree on James Place shortly before midnight, Heston said.
He said Whitman County Fire District 12 volunteers assisted Pullman Fire Department firefighters in extinguishing the blazes.
Pearce can e reached at epearce@dnews.com.
