The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army have temporary emergency resources available for those displaced by last week’s devastating fire at the Winlock Haunted Hostel, B&B and Hotel.
But very few of the fire evacuees had utilized those resources as of Sunday night.
The 20 to 30 people who were evacuated from the Haunted Hostel when it caught fire last Tuesday were initially taken to the OYO Hotel in Chehalis, but between 26 and 50 people total were displaced by the fire, according to Lewis County Emergency Services.
Those who were displaced and don’t have another place to stay were directed to the Salvation Army’s night-by-night shelter Friday ahead of the Red Cross setting up its own emergency shelter inside the Salvation Army’s main building on North Gold Street on Saturday.
While the Red Cross was prepared to provide emergency services to an estimated 20 displaced households on Saturday, only one person utilized the emergency shelter that night, with a second person arriving on Sunday.
Organizers suspect the low turnout at the shelter was not due to lack of need, but rather a communication breakdown, as cell service and internet in the Winlock area was disrupted by the hostel fire and had not been completely restored as of Sunday night.
As of Sunday night, the Red Cross intended to keep the shelter open through Wednesday morning. The Salvation Army is providing meals.
Meanwhile, Lewis County Emergency Services is looking for ways to help those displaced by the fire get back into long-term housing, but the area’s pre-existing housing crisis is hindering those efforts.
“There’s nowhere to rent here, no other hostels here in that price range,” said Lewis County Emergency Management Deputy Director Ross McDowell. “Everything is a very big question mark right now.”
The county can help people replace their IDs and other documents lost in the fire.
Boss Hogg’s BBQ is hosting a fundraiser dinner and silent auction on Tuesday, Nov. 15, for those displaced by the Haunted Hostel fire.
Tickets for the dinner are $25 each. A cocktail hour starts at 4 p.m., followed by dinner at 5 p.m. and a silent auction at 7 p.m. All proceeds will go toward those displaced by the fire, according to Boss Hogg’s BBQ.
At this time, the cause of the fire that destroyed the top floors of the Haunted Hostel is unknown.
Fire crews responded at approximately 7:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at which time all of the building’s human occupants had evacuated the building.
Except for minor injuries sustained by a firefighter in a fall, and reports that some cats are unaccounted for, no injuries were reported in what became a massive blaze in downtown Winlock.
Crews remained on the scene battling the fire and monitoring hotspots through the next day. The streets around the now unstable building remained blocked off as of Monday morning.
Winlock Mayor Brandon Svenson has expressed interest in demolishing the building as soon as possible, but the building remained standing as of Monday morning.
