A Centralia man has been charged with second-degree arson for allegedly starting fires — including a brush fire that burned 12.5 acres in northern Centralia — on Saturday.
A man in the 1600 block of Delaware Avenue first reported the brush fire to 911 at approximately 3:45 p.m., saying he was on a ladder on the south side of his house when he noticed “a lot of smoke to the north,” according to court documents. He reported seeing a man — who was later identified as Russell E. Charnell, 39 — walking south on Delaware Avenue past his house around that same time and, after Charnell walked by, the reporting party “noticed the grass in front of his house was on fire,” according to court documents.
The reporting party grabbed a garden hose and began to extinguish the fire on his property while he was on the phone with law enforcement and the fire department.
He reportedly saw Charnell continue walking southbound, with more smoke emerging along the man’s path as he walked.
A deputy with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office soon located Charnell in the 300 block of North Railroad Avenue and reportedly asked him “if he had seen anyone starting fires,” according to court documents.
Charnell allegedly responded by saying “he would tell the truth and that it was he who lit the fires.”
Charnell allegedly claimed “he lit the fires because his dad was after him with a gun,” adding, “he lit the fires in front of his father and behind him so that he could not escape, and that he lit the fires in the grass behind the mill,” according to court documents. Charnell then reportedly “started talking nonsense,” according to the deputy, who said he suspected Charnell “might be under the influence of some substance.”
The deputy reportedly noticed Charnell had a “green lighter in his right hand and black soot marks on both hands” and also smelled of “a distinct odor of smoke.”
Charnell was arrested and was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 5:10 p.m. on Aug. 27.
Meanwhile, crews with Riverside Fire Authority responded to the smoke that the man initially reported, which turned out to be from a brush fire in the 1700 block of Central Boulevard.
“One of our units got on scene and immediately upgraded (the severity rating of the fire) to request additional resources just due to the size of the fire that they encountered and the nature of it being pushed by the wind, so it was rapidly growing in dry vegetation,” said Riverside Fire Assistant Chief Kevin Anderson.
Riverside requested wildland engine response and air resources from other local fire departments and the Department of Natural Resources, which responded alongside the Chehalis Fire Department and Lewis County Fire District 6.
Local crews remained on scene until approximately 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, with DNR continuing mop-up into Monday afternoon, according to Anderson.
As of Monday afternoon, Charnell was only facing charges for allegedly starting the fire on one of the Delaware Avenue properties. The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office was waiting to receive reports from Riverside Fire Authority and DNR that would determine the extent of the damage from the Central Boulevard fire, according to court documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
“If DNR trees, hay or pasture land was damage(d), then the state may add additional charges,” reads a statement from the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office in the affidavit of probable cause for Charnell’s case.
Due to safety concerns and Charnell’s criminal history, which includes 11 prior felonies and a pending third-degree assault case, Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson recommended Charnell’s bail be set at $100,000 during a preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
Charnell was held at the jail on a no-bail hold over the weekend.
“The situation here was very dangerous given the time of year, the conditions and some possible apparent mental health issues,” said Jackson.
Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller expressed concerns about Charnell’s mental health and requested the court order a competency evaluation for Charnell.
Judge James Lawler granted Jackson’s request for $100,000 bail and ordered the competency evaluation.
The court last ordered a competency evaluation for Charnell on June 9 relating to the pending third-degree assault case, according to Lawler, who said another evaluation was needed in this case.
Charnell’s next court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 1.
