Fire destroys pool building on property Olympia just purchased

Fire damaged a structure on property the city Olympia recently bought in the 1000 block of Lilly Road Northeast.

The structure housed an in-ground swimming pool, but the pool was empty at the time of the blaze, according to Mike Buchanan, Olympia Fire Department assistant chief.

A home on the property and two outbuildings were not damaged by the fire.

Crews were dispatched at about 8:50 p.m. Sunday and the fire was extinguished about an hour later.

No one was hurt or displaced by the fire. The cause is under investigation.

The city closed on the purchase of the property just last week and plans to turn it into a neighborhood park. Paul Simmons, director of the city’s parks department, said all the buildings on the property were slated to be demolished.

“It will go a little faster now because of the fire,” Simmons said.

The city agreed to pay $425,000 for the nearly 5-acre property.

This story was originally published July 30, 2018 at 9:14 AM.