OTHELLO - A fire Wednesday morning at the Washington State University Research Center near Othello caused damage to a structure and farm equipment.

Adams County Fire District No. 5 responded about 7 a.m. to a structure fire at the research center located on 1471 W. Cox Rd.

Someone driving on a nearby road reported the fire.

An employee at the research center responded and attempted to use a fire extinguisher to suppress the fire.

According to Fire Chief Gary Lebacken, firefighters put out the fire within 15 minutes but remained on scene for more than two hours in case of any rekindles.

Lebacken said the fire originated in the north corner of the building, about halfway up the wall. Damage spread throughout the wood frames on the roof. A portion of the roof paneling was hanging down onto support beams.

Damage to farm equipment inside, including numerous tractors, was minimal.

A fifth-wheel trailer stored inside the structure sustained damage to the roof and to items inside. The equipment inside was moved out of the structure.

Lebacken was on scene Wednesday afternoon but was unable to confirm a cause of the fire. An electrical panel, located in the damaged corner, was dismantled but there was no evidence of an electrical fire.

There is no estimate of the cost of damage at this time.