Ephrata home severely damaged by fire – Columbia Basin Herald: Ephrata
EPHRATA – Ephrata fire officials are uncertain what caused atwo-story house to catch fire on E Street Southwest.
Ephrata police reportedly responded to the residence at about 12:30a.m. Saturday after receiving multiple 9-1-1 hang-ups. there theyfound “the entire living room was flames from floor to ceiling andwindows were popping out,” according to a police report.
Ephrata fire Chief Jeremy Burns said when firefighters arrivednobody was inside the home, but the fire was consuming the livingroom and had breached the walls, climbing into the second storymaster bedroom.
The fire started in the vicinity of the living room fireplace,where Burns said there was an electrical power supply and somemanufactured fire logs had been burned earlier in the evening.Investigators are still determining exactly how the fire began, buthave ruled out any suspicious circumstances, he said.
The first floor of the 1940s-era house was heavily damaged by fire,smoke and heat, Burns said, while the second floor underwent somefire damage as well as smoke and heat damage elsewhere.
Five engines and about 20 firefighters responded from Ephrata fireand Grant County fire District 13, Burns said.
At about 2:15 a.m., while Ephrata fire crews were cleaning up thehouse, fire district 13 crews responded to another fire call on HStreet Southeast, where a passerby reportedly noticed outdoorfurniture and the deck of a residence were catching fire.
The fire was apparently sparked by a nearby fire pit that hadreportedly been used earlier in the evening, Burns said
Little damage was done, as the flames were quickly put out by aresponding police officer with a chemical fire extinguisher, headded.
