Update: Vehicles, fire engine destroyed in DNR fire

Early Wednesday morning blaze, under investigation

March 24, 2014 4:35 pm

Photo by Lonnie Archibald

Updated 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2012

A fire that broke out just after midnight on Wednesday morning, January 2 blazed through the maintenance and auto shop building at the state Department of Natural Resources Olympic Regional Office.

The DNR office in Forks is closed for Wednesday, Jan. 2 due to smoke from the fire, and is scheduled to reopen on Thursday, Jan. 3 with normal hours.

The fire was quickly contained by Clallam County Fire District No. 1 fire fighters, according to a report from the DNR’s media office in Olympia. There were no injuries, and the fire is being investigated by local authorities.

The DNR spokesperson said the estimated dollar loss in equipment is being tallied. The Forks agency lost three pickup trucks and a new model wildfire fire engine in the blaze plus a significant amount of auto shop and forest fire fighting equipment.

The maintenance/auto shop is located in the middle of the parking lot behind the National Forest office at the DNR’s regional office on Tillicum Lane.

New Clallam County Fire District No. 1 Chief Bill Paul led the fire fighters in containing the blaze. Paul became chief one day earlier following the retirement of Chief Phil Arbeiter.

The DNR fire follows a blaze that burnt down the IOOF Hall and Olympic Pharmacy Building in downtown Forks in October, and a December house trailer fire that took the life of a Forks man.