Members of the Aberdeen fire and police departments responded to a fire in a tent on the 300 block of East State Street underneath the Chehalis River Bridge early Friday morning after an officer noticed smoke and flames.

The tent was fully engulfed as the officer closed to investigate, according to a news release from Cmdr. Steve Timmons of the Aberdeen Police Department.

“The officer began attempting to evacuate other people from the immediate area as the fire began to spread,” Timmons said in the news release. “The officer used his PA system from his vehicle to notify others to evacuate their tents as the fire spread.”

AFD was notified by the patrolling officer, said Aberdeen Fire Chief Dave Golding.

“We got a call at about 1:52 a.m. of the 29th for heavy smoke in the area and a tent on fire,” Golding said in a phone interview. “The battalion chief responded with a total of five personnel.”

It was a fairly straightforward fire, Golding said, save some possible small propane cans in the tent.

“Crews quickly extinguished the fire,” Golding said. “It took about 6-7 minutes to get the fire under control.”

The cause of the fire is unknown, Golding said. No injuries were reported.

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or michael.lockett@thedailyworld.com.