Furniture fire tally rises after a mattress set ablaze on College Hill last weekend
City of Pullman firefighters extinguished a mattress
PULLMAN — More furniture was lit on fire after Washington State University’s football game last weekend.
City of Pullman firefighters extinguished a mattress set ablaze Saturday night on Lake and Shaw streets. Earlier that evening, the New Mexico Lobos defeated the WSU Cougars 38-35 at Albuquerque, N.M.
Fire Chief Mike Heston said there were no injuries or structures damaged from the small blaze.
Heston said he has no idea what drives people to light furniture on fire. He said it doesn’t seem to matter if the university’s football team succeeds or loses — burnt furniture items keep showing up in the streets of Pullman’s College Hill after home games.
He said there have been more couch and mattress fires this year compared to in past.
Heston disapproves of the dangerous activity, and urges people to stop for a number of reasons.
He reminded the community that littering and burning within city limits is illegal, and can result in a ticket. There’s always a risk of fire spreading, he added.
Most importantly, Pullman’s emergency response can get tied up putting out these fires.
There have been nine incidents of furniture being set on fire this fall on College Hill. Two sofas were set ablaze last weekend, four were ignited during the annual Apple Cup football game and another two more were burnt in late September.
According to past Moscow-Pullman Daily News reporting, there have been numerous reports dating back to at least 2016 of couches and mattresses being set on fire in Pullman after Cougar football victories.
