Tractor shed on blueberry farm bursts into flames

A tractor shed near a house on a blueberry farm burst into flames Sunday evening, and firefighters don’t yet know what caused it. One person living on the property went to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Dispatch received a 911 call at about 5:40 p.m. for smoke coming from a shed, or shop, at 18905 N.W. 41st Ave., in the Sara area of unincorporated Clark County, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue Chief John Nohr said.

When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the shop, holding tractors, machinery, and tanks of gas and diesel. They began taking defensive action to prevent the fire from reaching the nearby house until water tenders arrived. There were no fire hydrants on the property.

The smoke was visible for miles, including from the Salmon Creek Fred Meyer. Eventually, a diesel or gas tank in the 20-by-40-foot building ruptured, causing flames to burst from the building and collapse the roof.

“The fire got very intense after that,” Nohr said.

After three water tenders arrived to allow firefighters to douse the shed, the fire was put out, and an excavator from Clark County Public Works arrived to collapse the rest of the unstable building.

A total of six fire engines, with three engines from Clark County Fire District 6, assisted in the fire fight. The last engine left at 11:09 p.m.

The Clark County fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, Nohr said.