Two encampment fires prompt road closures in Olympia on Wednesday
Olympia firefighters responded to two fires at separate encampments across the city on Wednesday.
A fire engulfed an improvised structure in a parking lot near the intersection of Capitol Way North and State Avenue Wednesday afternoon.
Olympia firefighters responded to this blaze at 12:36 p.m. and extinguished it in about 15 minutes, Olympia Fire Department Battalion Chief J.D. Young said.
When they initially arrived, fire crews retreated from the blaze as a several compressed cylinders exploded.
“We backed off and used our defensive fire tactics,” Young said. “We applied water from a distance until the fire was out.”
Young said the fire spanned 20-feet-by-20-feet and destroyed a makeshift structure at the camp. No injuries were reported, and nearby structures were not damaged, he added.
Police briefly limited traffic at the adjacent intersection to allow fire crews to access a nearby hydrant, he said.
Another fire engulfed an improvised structure and some trees at an encampment behind the Chevron at 3200 Pacific Avenue in the morning.
Fire crews arrived shortly after being dispatched at 9:44 a.m. and found propane tanks dangerously close to the 20-foot-by-20-foot blaze. As a precaution, Young said crews applied water on the fire from a safe distance using an elevated master stream.
Officers closed the roadway in both directions to allow fire crews to run a water supply line across the street to a nearby fire hydrant, he said.
The Olympia Police Department announced the closure on Twitter at 10:11 a.m. In a follow up tweet 22 minutes later, the department indicated the fire was out and the roadway had reopened.
No people were injured during the incident and no nearby structures were directly threatened, Young said.
The cause of both fires remain under investigation, he added.
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 12:22 PM.
