Okanogan County Fire District 6 had a busy morning on Christmas Eve, responding to fires near Twisp and Mazama.
The first fire was reported at about 4 a.m. about a mile and a half up Twisp River Road, Fire District 6 Chief Cody Acord told the Methow Valley News. Crews arrived to find a van on fire.
“When we got there it was fully involved and it was threatening a motorhome right next to it, and so the owner was throwing snow on the vehicle trying to keep it from getting the motorhome on fire,” Acord said.
Fire crews put the fire out, and believe it was started by an unspecified type of heat source.
Just as crews were returning to their stations, they responded again at 7 a.m. to a fire in a residence near milepost 180 of Highway 20, near Mazama. That fire started in a chimney and extended down into the floor underneath the fireplace, Acord said.
“When we got there the fire was underneath the fireplace in the floor, so we had to cut open around the stove to get access to the fire,” he said. “It burned up some of the floor joists. It took a while to get it out.”
Crews were able to leave by 11:30 a.m., Acord said. The house has water and smoke damage but is fixable, he said.
No injuries were reported.
in either incident.
