Three fruit warehouses burn

TIETON, Wash. – The president of a fruit packing company here vowed to rebuild after a fire caused an estimated $25 million in damage while firefighters to the north continued to battle a wildfire that threatened hundreds of homes.

The high winds that had pushed the Fischer fire, about 20 miles northwest of Wenatchee, into dry brush and grass died down slightly Wednesday, a day after the fire jumped one canyon, destroyed one home and damaged another residence and a shed.

The blaze was estimated at 12,856 acres Wednesday night, with 30 percent containment, said Gail Roberts, a fire information officer.

Residents in two canyons to the north and west were allowed to return home early Wednesday after the fire moved away from that area, Robin DeMario, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman, said earlier.

Firefighters were working to protect structures in the remaining evacuated canyons as the fire burned to the east. At least 160 homes were under a mandatory evacuation notice, said fire information officer John Bearer.

Hundreds of additional residents remained on notice they might have to leave if the fire grew.

“We built good bulldozer line today in Hay Canyon, where the fire is now,” Roberts said. Crews were trying to build a fire line that goes up Hay Canyon and ties in with Ollala Canyon to encircle the fire around Tibbetts Mountain.

“We’re hoping that will hold it,” she said. Crews also worked to protect evacuated homes in Hay Canyon – cutting back brush, moving woodpiles and wrapping houses with protective foil if necessary.

About 200 people turned out Wednesday night at Cashmere High School to hear Chelan County sheriff’s officers, Forest Service and state Department of Natural Resources officials explain the status of the fire and current evacuations, she said.

Gov. Gary Locke announced plans to visit the fire command center in Leavenworth today. More than 1,500 firefighters were assigned to the human-caused blaze, which has been burning since Aug. 8 on private, state and national land.

No one has been injured.

In Tieton, near Yakima, a fire that burned three fruit warehouses, three ammonia tanks and a propane tank remained under investigation Wednesday.

The fire started Tuesday night in some cardboard packaging stored next to CPC International Apple Co. The fire forced the evacuation of 150 people when high winds carried embers a mile away, pushing flames into the grass.

Deanna Latham, whose house is across the street from one of the warehouses, voluntarily left her home when she saw the flames Tuesday night. The fire threatened both her home and her livelihood: Latham has worked as a secretary for CPC International for seven years. “It was scary. We were just hoping the wind didn’t shift,” she said.

Peter Hancock, company president, vowed to rebuild. CPC International, with about 300 workers, is the largest employer in this town of about 1,100.

“We rebuilt this place once before and we’ll do it again,” he said.

In 1997, several of the company’s old buildings collapsed under the weight of heavy snow.

The company has been operating 24 hours each day, seven days a week through the apple harvest. Company officials were working to negotiate leases with the owners of several unused fruit packing buildings so employees could immediately get back to work, Hancock said.

Elsewhere in the state, firefighters continued to battle several wildfires started by lightning.