Fire crews responded Sunday morning to a fire at the abandoned Chehalis wastewater plant.
A fire broke out early Sunday morning at Chehalis’ abandoned wastewater treatment plant on Shoreline Road, destroying a former administration building, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.
Crews responded to the fire at 5:08 a.m. Sunday at the address in the 1100 block of NW Shoreline Road after dispatchers received reports of smoke in the area.
First-arriving fire crews saw flames and requested aid from Riverside Fire Authority, Lewis County Fire Districts 5 and 6 and Thurston County crews.
The first crews on the scene struggled with water supply issues after learning damage from a vehicle collision to a hydrant in the area had decreased water pressure to the other hydrants. Crews obtained water from other hydrants and called for water tender trucks, according to the fire department.
Flames were first reported on the north side of the plant’s administration building.
“Being this complex was abandoned our pre-fire plan called for defensive operations, but a primary search of the uninvolved area of the building was performed to search for homeless people who had been known (from) time to time to occupy the building,” according to a news release from the Chehalis Fire Department.
No victims were found in the structure. Crews began defensively fighting the fire and no other structures were damaged.
The fire was listed as under control by 7 a.m. Sunday but continued to burn for several hours. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
