Othello fire cause still under investigation
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 7 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | August 22, 2017 1:00 AM
OTHELLO — The cause of the Friday afternoon fire that destroyed a longtime Othello business is still under investigation.
Adams County Fire District No. 5 chief Gary Lebacken said that means fire district officials don’t know yet what caused the fire at the Pik-N-Pop. The spectacular fire destroyed the building housing the deli and mini-mart and the China Express restaurant. The fire did not damage the gas pumps in front the building.
Fire crews also kept it from spreading to the Burger King franchise and other buildings behind it. When crews identify buildings at risk around a fire, “we fight to protect those as well,” Lebacken said.
Lebacken said the fire was reported about 1:23 p.m. Friday, and fire crews remained on the scene until 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
So far the investigation has determined the fire “spread through concealed space and went unnoticed for a period of time.” Fire officials don’t know how long the fire had been burning before it was discovered, he said.
The firefighting crew included Fire District No. 5, 21 firefighters total, and one engine each from Grant County Fire District No. 10 (Royal City) and Grant County Fire District No. 11 (Royal Slope).
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
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