A Winlock warehouse full of food products was destroyed in an early-morning fire Tuesday.
Firefighters were still on the scene just before noon Tuesday of a fire that burned down a warehouse holding food products in the 800 block of Kerron Avenue in Winlock.
A contractor hired by the state Department of Ecology uses absorbent pads to help soak up an oil spill in Olequa Creek caused by a fire that started at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at a warehouse full of food products in Winlock. The fire’s cause is under investigation.
Firefighters work Tuesday to extinguish a fire that destroyed a warehouse in the 800 block of Kerron Avenue in Winlock.
An early-morning fire Tuesday destroyed a Winlock warehouse full of food items.
State Department of Ecology crews also responded to the fire on Tuesday after an unidentified oil leaked into storm drains and reached Olequa Creek.
Fire crews were still on the scene Tuesday morning. The fire’s cause is under investigation, according to fire investigator Sam Patrick of the Toledo Police Department.
The fire was reported at 2:25 a.m. Tuesday at Olympic Trading Corporation at 803 NW Kerron Ave. in Winlock, according to 911 call log information.
Ecology crews responded at 4:30 a.m., said Chase Gallagher, Southwest Region communications manager for Ecology.
Ecology spill responder Andrea Unger said the department is working on identifying the oil. She speculated that it could be vegetable, olive, or some other type of cooking oil, as the warehouse contained high volumes of other food products.
Unger said she doesn’t know how much oil was spilled.
Firefighters notified Ecology after the oil began seeping into storm drains that drain into Olequa Creek. Firefighters put sandbags around the storm drains in an effort to stop the contamination, Unger said.
Ecology hired a contractor to begin cleaning up the spill. They are using vacuum trucks and absorbent pads to soak up the oil, Unger said.
Unger said area residents should be prepared to find dead fish in the creek.
“When oil gets in the water it can impact the aquatic life in a couple of different ways,” she said, adding that when the fish are covered in oil, they have trouble breathing. The oil in the water, and the food products also spilled during the fire, add nutrients for bacteria in the water. This can lead to lower dissolved oxygen levels in the water, which will also suffocate the fish.
“Basically you can either vacuum it up or absorb it up,” she said. “You try to vacuum the majority of it.”
Contrary to initial reports, Unger said firefighting foam was not mixed with the oil that spilled into the creek. The foamy appearance of the oil is caused by it mixing with water in the fast-moving current.
The building’s owner is out of town, Unger said, but will be billed for the contractor’s work.
