The Yakima Fire Department (YFD) responded to three fires in little more than an hour overnight.
The spate of fires began at 11:28 pm Tuesday, May 5th, in the 200 block of Oak Street. The fire began in a tree and spread to the siding of a nearby 6-plex. One of the residents sustained a small second-degree burn on their arm. The person was treated at the scene by an ambulance and did not require hospitalization.
The fire damaged not only the building’s exterior siding but also heavily damaged a vehicle in the area.
The estimated dollar loss is $20,000. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time and is under investigation.
At 12:38 am today, Wednesday, YFD was called to the 1500 block of South 5th Avenue for a fire involving an Arborvitae tree. The fire was extinguished before it could cause damage to structures in the area. The cause is unknown and the fire is under investigation.
Just eight minutes after receiving the call about the South 5th Avenue blaze, firefighters were alerted to a fire at 12:46 am today in the 800 block of Walnut Avenue. That fire involved a vacant building that was in the process of being remodeled. The fire started inside the building and quick action by firefighters limited estimated damages to $5,000. The cause of that fire is also undetermined and is being investigated.
Besides the three overnight fires, YFD is investigating a fire reported at 1:14 pm today in the 100 block of South 6th Street. The fire involved a large tree stump near an apartment building. Fire had engulfed the entire center of the stump, estimated at 5-foot in diameter and standing about 12 feet tall. In addition to putting out the fire before it could damage nearby structures, YFD crews removed the stump as a precaution due to high winds. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Visit https://yakimafire.com/ for more about YFD.