SNOHOMISH — A fire fueled by heavy winds destroyed more than a dozen cars and recreational vehicles, and gutted a portion of a Snohomish storage center early Thursday.
No one was hurt.
The fire started beneath the cover of a carport at Snohomish Storage on Bickford. Firefighters arrived shortly after 3 a.m. At first, they only saw smoke. The property where the storage center was built is terraced, said Chief Ron Simmons, with Fire District 4. The carport was located down the hill, making it difficult for crews to spot the flames.
“After we got in there, the winds picked up and the fire spread pretty quickly,” Simmons said. “There was a lot of smoke.”
RVs and cars were parked under the covered area. As of Thursday afternoon, 13 were destroyed and 11 sustained varying degrees of damage, Simmons said.
Flames spread to an enclosed storage building, damaging two of the 11 units. One of the units had been rented out by a carpet contractor. The other was filled with personal belongings. All of the contents inside were burned, Simmons said.
The Snohomish County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire and calculating the damage estimate.
The loss in destroyed RVs could be high. Simmons said the vehicles ranged in value from about $25,000 to $100,000 each. The building, which was made of steel and incorporated unique design characteristics, also could be pricey, Simmons said.
It took roughly two and a half hours to extinguish the fire. About 50 firefighters from districts 4, 7, 8 and 26, as well as the city of Everett lent a hand.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
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