Historic home among buildings destroyed in Rochester brush fire

A historic home in Rochester was among the buildings destroyed in a fast-moving brush fire Tuesday afternoon that ended up burning about 485 acres.

The Miller-Brewer house and barn on Guava Street Southwest was reduced to a chimney and smoldering debris. The Greek Revival-style home was built around 1860 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fire surrounded the buildings on Tuesday and crews had to leave them, according to Capt. Lanette Dyer of the West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

“That’s too bad. We didn’t know it burned, but we thought it might,” said Diane Haury, who lives down the street from the Miller-Brewer home.

About 100 homes were evacuated Tuesday afternoon as high winds spread the Scatter Creek Fire through dry grass. It charred power poles and came within a few feet of many homes.

“(The area) was really prime for any type of ignition source,” Dyer said. “The fire was jumping roads left and right.”

The fire even was able to jump Interstate 5.

By Wednesday morning the fire was contained, and crews spent the day putting out hot spots and going door to door looking for damage. All roads in the area reopened by the afternoon, but people who don’t live in the area were still being told to stay away.

Thurston County officials said four homes and a landscaping supply business near Interstate 5 were destroyed, though Dyer warned there may be more damage that officials don’t yet know about.

Fire crews from Thurston, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pierce and Mason counties responded, as did crews from the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of Corrections.

DNR will lead the investigation into the cause of the fire.

The fire burned the field across from Haury’s house, stopping at the edge of the road. She and her husband spent the night checking to see if flames returned. They planned to call on neighbors Wednesday.

“Living here, we have friends all over and we don’t know if their homes burned,” Haury said.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Historic home among buildings destroyed in Rochester brush fire."