Fire crews to remain on scene at Lineage Facility Fire for days: What we know

FINLEY, Wash. — Fire crews have been on scene of the fire at the Lineage facility for over 24 hours.

The 525,000 square-foot freezer facility, located on Bowles Road just off Highway 397, housed produce items including peas and carrots, before catching fire at around 5:15 Sunday morning.

According to Jenna Kochenauer, a Public Information Officer with Benton County Fire District 1, in the early hours of the fire, crews responded to the scene and found a small amount of smoke coming from inside one of the building's freezer bays.

Ten employees who were inside were all able to evacuate safely.

Sprinklers from the building's fire suppression system were activated, but due to the cold temperatures, made it challenging for firefighters to locate the fire when the water turned into a mist, mimicking the appearance of smoke. Eventually crews determined several pallets were burning in a nearby freezer hallway.

Shortly after, Kochenauer said crews believed damage to the building would be minimal, with help from the building's sprinkler system.

Then, at around 11:10 a.m. crews discovered even more fire inside one of the freezers and began to request additional resources from other fire agencies, including Benton Public Utility District and management from Lineage, the international supply chain who recently rebranded from Lineage Logistics to just Lineage. It's estimated the Finley facility employs dozens of people to complete their operations.

By about 1 p.m. a smoke plume was clearly visible from around the Tri-Cities and had engulfed the building. At the same time, Kochenauer says fire crews also evacuated from the building and began to fight the fire defensively.

Due to the intense heat, the size, and the fact the building is older in age, other officials on scene said it's likely the burning insolation that was spreading from the initial blaze, creating at least a half dozen wildfires for crews to contend with.

Kochenauer says those wildfires, combined with chemicals inside the facility that almost caught fire, lead to evacuations in the local area that lasted for around 5 hours until firefighters were able to secure the chemicals and gain better control of the dynamic situation. The American Red Cross also set up a shelter for those who were evacuated, but closed shortly evacuation orders were lifted.

As of 6:00 p.m. crews had extinguished most of the fire and the Washington State Fire Marshall's Office had approved State Mobilization, providing oversight of the operations and freeing up local resources with crews and apparatus from around the state - who arrived the next morning.

By then, the fire was officially declared under control but it is likely to smolder for at least another week. During that time, State Mobilization will continue to assist with keeping the fire controlled.

Some local school districts impacted by smoke from the fire announced students will be staying indoors until air quality improves throughout the Tri-Cities and the Washington State Department of Ecology has sent personnel to assist with air monitoring, including setting up additional air-quality meters and tests to check for dangerous chemicals. So far, they say while people should avoid the smoke regardless, no significant chemicals have been detected.

Ben Shearer, a Public Information Officer with the Pasco Fire Department, says emergency dispatch has been receiving calls from concerned citizens who believe there may be a fire in their area due to the smoke. He says before making the call, to do some investigation and make sure the smoke is actually coming from your area, not from the Lineage Fire in Finley.

When asked about whether current employees can expect to be laid off, officials from Lineage wouldn't comment, instead releasing the following statement:

Lineage’s top priority is the health and safety of our employees, partners, and the communities in which we live and operate. There were no injuries at our facility in Kennewick, WA, and we thank the first responders who assisted in suppressing the fire. We continue to work closely with local officials and will provide updates as appropriate.