On the morning of Wednesday March 14, 2012 an employee with Asplundh Tree Service was setting up his work area in the 57000 block of NW Wilson River Highway when he thought he saw smoke coming from a home. The home was a few hundred yards away and across the rapidly flowing Gales Creek, but as the tree worker gained a better look he saw heavy white smoke start to billow from the roof of the home so he went to call 9-1-1. Firefighters arrived quickly and began to go to work to control the blaze, but found the fire burning stubbornly in the attic area of the triple wide manufactured home. Crews from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, Banks Fire District, Washington County Fire District #2, and the Cornelius Fire Department worked for most of the day on Wednesday tearing into the structure to extinguish hidden hot spots burning in the insulation and roofing that would quit smoking for awhile only to flare up again as crews worked in other parts of the home. Fire investigators believe the fire started in the attic area of the home, an investigation is currently ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fire that officials estimate causing at least $150,000 damage to the home and contents. No one was home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.
An inside look at your fire department. Sharing our operations with you and your feedback with us all in an effort to work better in service to our community. Career and Volunteer Firefighters from Forest Grove and Cornelius provide fire, rescue, and emergency medical response, as well as fire prevention and life safety education services to the residents of the Cities of Forest Grove and Cornelius, and the surrounding rural communities in beautiful western Washington County.
