MONROE – A fire destroyed an unoccupied mobile home in Monroe on Tuesday.
Passersby spotted smoke and flames and called 911 about 10:15 a.m. The mobile home, located in the 21300 block of Lake Fontal Road, has been vacant for awhile.
The mobile home was engulfed in flames when Monroe firefighters arrived, District 3 spokeswoman Audrey Duncan said. A crew quickly extinguished the blaze, but the home was a total loss.
The fire created a black column of smoke that could be seen for miles around.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
$13 million needed for fairgrounds work
The Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe need $13 million in improvements during the next six years, parks officials told the Snohomish County Council on Monday.
The county-run fairgrounds is celebrating its centennial next year, and officials are asking to speed up plans for improvements in time for the milestone.
The most expensive of the needs is construction of additional exhibit space, estimated to cost $8.25 million over two years. Other proposed improvements include lighting, electrical work and miscellaneous repairs.
Snohomish: Police seek robbery suspect
Deputies are looking for a man they believe robbed a convenience store in 16500 block of Highway 9.
The man allegedly held up the Express Stop in the Cathcart area at 11:30 p.m. on April 21 with a revolver and demanded cash from the store clerk, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
He left with an undisclosed amount of cash, she said. No one was injured.
The suspect is described as a light-skinned black man in his 20s. He was wearing all black clothing, shorts, socks, flip-flops, a jacket and a headband. He appeared to have a shaved head and covered part of his face with a gray cloth, Hover said.
Anyone with information about the man is asked to call the sheriff’s office tip line at 425-388-3845.
Fire commissioner moves, will resign board
Snohomish County Fire District 4 commissioner Steve Towers announced that he will resign from the board next week.
Towers, who has served for 21/2 years, moved out the district and is no longer eligible to be on the board.
“He did a lot for us. He helped start a work committee with the volunteers and career firefighters. He led that. It took a lot of courage to take the heat for decisions made in the past,” Snohomish Fire Chief Mark Collins said. “He really helped us move forward.”
In a letter, Towers extended his thanks to the firefighters for persevering during the district’s financial troubles and complimented Collins for bringing the department together.
The board’s remaining two commissioners will appoint someone to fill the position until voters can elect a new commissioner in the general election in November. Anyone interested in position is asked to call 360-568-2141. Commissioners meet twice a month and oversee the operations of the fire district.
Sultan: Four-car crash injures five people
A four-car crash sent five people to the hospital Tuesday, officials said.
None of the injuries was serious. The crash occurred in the 700 block of U.S. 2 about 2 p.m., Sultan Police Chief Fred Walser said.
Four adults and an infant were injured, he said. Three were taken by ambulance to Valley General Hospital; two went to the hospital in a private car, he said.
Eastbound traffic on U.S. 2 was blocked for about an hour, Walser said.
One car failed to slow down for stopped traffic, setting off the chain-reaction accident, he said.
Mill Creek: One person hurt in pileup
One person was injured in four-car pileup Tuesday morning in the 3900 block of 132nd Street SE, officials said.
A construction truck with a small trailer hit another car at 8:17 a.m., said Mill Creek police spokesman Steve Winters. A car behind the truck stopped to avoid the collision and was rear-ended, he said.
The person driving the car hit by the truck was taken to Providence Everett Medical Center Colby Campus with minor injuries, Snohomish County Fire District 7 Battalion Chief Bill Wirtz said.
The crash blocked westbound traffic on 132nd Street SE for a short time, he said.
Olympia: Use caution when hiring limousine
State officials are warning prom-goers and brides-to-be or anyone looking to hire a chauffeur to use caution when hiring limousine service.
Limousine drivers and all for-hire driving services must be state licensed to operate, said Christine Anthony, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Licensing.
Chauffeurs must be at least 21, hold a valid driver’s license, have completed certified training and passed a test, and have completed a Washington State Patrol background check, she said.
To find out if a limousine service is licensed, go to the department’s Web site at www.dol.wa.gov.
From Herald staff reports
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
