Demolition starts on still burning Tri-Cities warehouse. Neighborhood town hall called
Demolition of the Lineage cold storage warehouse that caught fire more than a month ago in Finley has begun, even as the fire continues to smolder in the center of the building.
Removing debris will give fire crews better access to the part of the building still burning, allowing it to be extinguished.
Residents of the Finley area are invited Wednesday, May 29, to a town hall meeting at the River View High School for an update on the fire and continuing air quality issues.
Information will be provided on steps being taken to monitor air quality and reduce health risks, including air monitoring devices to detect hazardous chemicals and particulate matter from smoke and demolition.
A new air monitor installed on South Finley Road showed that the air quality deteriorated to a level considered “unhealthy” for a time Friday morning.
On Thursday morning the air quality also was “unhealthy for sensitive groups” for a time.
The fire, which started in a freezer the morning of April 21, is believed to be the largest structure fire ever in the Tri-Cities area.
Signal Restoration Services began demolition work for Lineage last week, removing metal and other debris from the outer area of the 12-acre building. They had water trucks on site to help with smoke and dust suppression.
Scrap is being trucked to a Burbank, Wash., area scrap yard, according to Benton Fire District 1.
Demolition work
Demolition of the building to prepare for new construction could take two month, according to the fire district.
“It is a complex operation that needs to be completed strategically to keep crews safe,” Benton Fire District 1 posted on social media.
People living near the fire can expect to see dozens of truckloads of scrap metal and other waste moved from the building each day as cleanup work ramps up.
The fire has left mounds of rotting potatoes, corns, peas and carrots in what’s remaining of the warehouse.
The town hall meeting to provide information on the fire and address questions, including about air quality, is 6:30 p.m. May 29 at the Finley high school commons at 36509 S. Lemon Drive, Kennewick. The meeting will be live streamed on the Benton Franklin Health District’s Facebook Page.
Agencies that are expected to share information include Benton County, Benton Fire District 1, Benton Clean Air Agency and the Benton Franklin Health District.
