A total of 23 residents were displaced and two firefighters were injured in a fire that burned two homes and a garage in Centralia early this morning.
When Riverside Fire Authority firefighters responded to the blaze in the 300 block of North Gold Street at about 2:30 a.m., they found two adjacent homes, a garage and three cars ablaze, said fire authority Chief Jim Walkowski.
Walkowski said the fire may have originated from the garage attached to the first home, and learned through a Spanish-language interpreter that about 20 people lived in four sections of the two-story structure. He said six people who were inside at the time were unharmed.
Renters Katie Rowling and her husband Brian awoke to flames shooting through the back door of their adjacent home at the intersection of Diamond and Maple streets. They made it out safely with Katie's sister, but their home sustained heavy fire and smoke damage to the attic and ceiling.
Katie has a baby due in December. She smiled as she and her husband described the scene, noting they were just happy everyone is safe.
"We lost everything we worked so hard for," Brian said at about 8:15 a.m. "It's gonna take some time, but I think we can fix it up -- make it look good."
The Riverside Fire Authority worked with Lewis County fire districts 5 and 6, the Chehalis Fire Department and Thurston County Fire District 1 to quell the flames. They battled the fire inside and out, and while they were able to knock down the blaze in Rowling's home relatively fast, the already gutted home and garage were a total loss, Walkowski said.
He said one firefighter suffered what looks like dehydration and another injured his eye when it was sprayed with a hose.
Later this morning, the Rowlings rummaged through undamaged belongings to grab what they could before leaving for their mother's home.
The American Red Cross responded to assist the nine residents on the scene, and will be following up with an additional 14 who are currently out of town, according to a press release. The Salvation Army next door also provided temporary shelter for those involved.
The fire is under investigation, and a cause hasn't been determined, Walkowski said.
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