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PULLMAN -- Wind carried the embers from a house fire on Maple Street on Sunday afternoon about a block away to Howard Street, resulting in another fire that destroyed a three-story home and igniting a half-acre hillside wildfire on North Grand Avenue, behind Cougar Country Drive In in Pullman.The fires displaced 12 Washington State University students.
According to a Pullman Fire Department news release, Pullman firefighters were first called to the 800 block of Northeast Maple Street around 1 p.m. with a report of a tree on fire. As firefighters from Pullman, Whitman Country Fire District 12 and the Moscow Volunteer Fire Department arrived, the fire had moved to the deck overlooking the hillside.
Firefighters said in the release the winds were gusting up to 30 mph at the time and carried embers from Maple Street to more than a block away, igniting the cedar shake shingles on the three-story home on the 400 block of Northeast Howard Street.
Pullman fire investigator Tony Nuttman said in the release that the Maple Street home, which was also destroyed, housed six students. The Washington State University student housing office was addressing the needs of the residents and the American Red Cross was also notified and given the names of the students.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Fire Marshal Chris Wehrung said in the release that the Howard Street house fire was started by the wind-driven embers igniting the cedar roof. The fire spread rapidly from the roof to the attic. In addition to the fire, there was water damage throughout the structure.
Before crews could deploy to the Howard Street location, which was called in about 30 minutes after the Maple Street fire, Wehrung and a student started watering down the structure with a garden hose.
The student, Ian Neveu, fought wildfires in California this summer before coming back to school. Wehrung said in the release that Neveu, who is trying out for the WSU football team, helped the women in the house rescue a cat safely before firefighters arrived. Another student, Cooper Ray, also assisted Wehrung at the Howard Street fire. WSU housing is working with those students to find temporary housing.
One firefighter was injured fighting the hillside fire. No other injuries were reported.
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