Compost piles get just a little too hot
Fire at facility in East Lewiston spreads to surrounding hillsides; apartment complex blaze snuffed out quickly
Multiple agencies worked to contain a fire that appeared to start late Saturday afternoon at the Clearwater Compost facility in Lewiston.
Just before 6 p.m., piles at the facility were fully engulfed in flames and producing thick plumes of black smoke. Winds were brisk at the time, with gusts of as much as 25-30 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service at Spokane.
Flames soon appeared on the steep grassy hillside to the south and east of the compost facility and eventually covered several acres.
Lewiston Fire Department Battalion Chief David Chenault said the fire beyond the Clearwater Compost facility was contained by about 9 p.m., but firefighters were continuing to work on the yard waste piles and would stay throughout the night.
“We are just trying right now to get a better handle on this fire at the compound,” he said. “Once we get this one under control I don’t have to worry about fire brands.
Another blaze broke out in town around the same time. Four engines from the Lewiston Fire Department responded to a fire at Canyon View Apartment complex in Lewiston at about 6 p.m. Friday.
The threat was quickly doused and contained to a single unit of the complex, which includes multiple buildings on the 2400 block of 17th Street. Other residents in the building where the fire started were able to return to their apartments. No other information was available Saturday.
The Idaho Department of Lands took the lead in battling the fire outside of the composting facility, which sits on the eastern edge of Lewiston’s city limit.
Agencies including Asotin County Fire District No. 1. Wheatland Fire District, Clearwater Paper, Nez Perce County, and the City of Clarkston assisted with the suppression efforts. A helicopter also dropped water on the fire.
There was a small fire at one of the Clearwater Compost piles at about 5 a.m. Saturday. Chenault said it is too early to determine if the afternoon fire was caused by the morning fire coming back to life or if it was a new fire. Compost facilities can be fire-prone because of the heat generated by decomposing vegetation.
