Captain Casey McCarthy, of Riverside Fire Authority, talks on the phone during a fire investigation in the 1400 block of West Main Street Friday morning in Centralia.
A residence is seen in the 1400 block of West Main Street following a fire, Friday morning in Centralia.
A group of residents look as damage done to a neighboring house in the 1400 block of West Main Street following a fire, Friday morning in Centralia.
Assistant Chief and Fire Marshall Richard Mack steps out of a mobile lab during a fire investigation in the 1400 block of West Main Street Friday morning in Centralia.
Captain Casey McCarthy, of Riverside Fire Authority, talks on the phone during a fire investigation in the 1400 block of West Main Street Friday morning in Centralia.
A residence is seen in the 1400 block of West Main Street following a fire, Friday morning in Centralia.
A fire heavily damaged a house in the 1400 block of West Main Street in Centralia early Friday morning, and the cause is under investigation by the Riverside Fire Authority and the Centralia Police Department.
A police activity log referred to the fire as a “possible arson,” and RFA Capt. Scott Weinert said the investigation is too preliminary at this point to say for sure that the fire was intentionally set.
“I can’t say arson right now,” he said, adding that there are some suspicious circumstances, but with the caveat that it’s too soon to make a call one way or another.
No residents of the house were present when fire personnel first arrived on the scene at around 12:03 a.m.
Upon their arrival, fire fighters found the house was “well-involved” in flame, with the fire venting from windows and the front doorway — threatening to spread to a neighboring residence.
“The fire was brought under control after an extensive fire suppression operation with the neighboring residence sustaining only minor damage,” reads an RFA press release.
No injuries were reported. The RFA was assisted on scene by the Chehalis Fire Department and the Centralia Police Department.
Weinert said the investigation is conducted between RFA and the police, with fire authorities focusing on origin and cause of the fire, while police hone in on other surrounding circumstances.
