Fire engulfs Harbor Saw & Supply building

By Louis Krauss • August 20, 2018 5:00 pm

A fire fully engulfed the Harbor Saw & Supply Inc. building on Monday afternoon. Multiple fire trucks from the Aberdeen, Hoquiam and Cosmopolis fire departments responded to combat the fire, and were still doing so at the time this article went to press.

Debi Valliere, a store employee who handles the accounts payable, said she was in the shop when the fire began. Valliere said she noticed a lot of black smoke coming from the building’s saw shop area before evacuating and calling 911.

“We just didn’t think it was very bad, and it happened so fast,” said Valliere. “All the windows blew out in the front right away.”

All the employees in the Simpson Avenue building were able to evacuate, according to Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers in a press release.

“Initial reports indicate that the fire started in the small engine equipment shop and then quickly spread to the rest of the building,” according to the press release.

As she watched from the sidewalk with storeowner Fred Lennox and others, Valliere said she was “devastated” by the fire.

“I’ve been here 20-some years, and never even had a slight fire,” she said.

Valliere said the store contained $2 million worth of clothing, boots, rain gear, lawnmowers, tractors, power saws, weed eaters, lawn and gardening equipment.

As the fire developed, small explosions could be heard from the back of the building, which were likely from fuel canisters, tanks, small engines and other flammables triggered by the fire, Myers wrote.

Smoke from the fire could be seen for several miles, and Myers said citizens are urged to stay out of the area so the fire department can work without interference.

Due to the fire, Simpson Avenue was closed off and a detour was put in place.

Louis Krauss | The Daily World Smoke emanates from the Harbor Saw Supply Inc. building on Simpson Avenue Monday afternoon.

Louis Krauss | The Daily World Smoke emanates from the Harbor Saw Supply Inc. building on Simpson Avenue Monday afternoon. Louis Krauss | The Daily World Harbor Saw & Supply owner Fred Lennox watches as firefighters combat the fire in his store Monday afternoon.