UPDATE: Saturday, April 21 2:00 p.m.
FINLEY, Wash.- The Benton County Fire District #1 has issued a Level 3 evacuation order and is asking everyone to leave the area of Lineage Logistics to Bowles, Piert and Finley Road to the river.
Firefighters have closed Bowles Road at Finley and are asking the public to avoid the area because they are bringing in additional water tanks.
Firefighters say they are working on a code red alert because the fires are spreading. Several cover fires have ignited as embers were carried by the wind. Crews from Franklin County, Walla Walla, Richland, the City of Kennewick, and Pasco are assisting in putting out the fire.
ORIGINAL COVERAGE:
At 5:15 a.m., firefighters responded to a fire alarm and evacuated employees at the Linage Logistics facility after smoke was reportedly coming from the freezer.
According to Benton County Fire District #1, the firm activated sprinklers, which sprayed room-temperature water over the subfreezing freezer temperatures. This created a hefty amount of frozen mist, which was easily mistaken for smoke.
Firefighters reported that they discovered several pallets burning in the freezer hallway.
The fire is ongoing, and several crews are actively assisting with ventilation. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
