Trailer catches fire in Cascade Valley

MOSES LAKE — Firefighters from Grant County Fire District No. 5 responded to a call for a utility trailer that caught fire behind a Cascade Valley residence Thursday morning.

The fire, in the 7300 block of Blue Goose Road NE, engulfed a trailer belonging to Othello contractor Jaime Padilla. The fire was contained and did not spread to nearby trees or buildings.

“All my tools, my air compressor, are gone,” Padilla said. “I’m not sure how long it will take my insurance to pay.”

Robert Arco, who hired Padilla to do some work on his house, said work had just started and the air compressor was running when it made several very loud popping noises and then caught fire.

The trailer was parked in Arco’s driveway between his house and his rear garage when the fire broke out around 9 a.m.

“Nobody was near it, and that was good,” Arco said. “I turned on a hose and kept it wet, and the neighbors helped, and we kept it at bay until the fire department showed up.”

“Nobody’s hurt, and nothing else got damaged,” Arco added. “We worked together as a team.”

Firefighters on the scene were grateful that the fire had been contained to the trailer.

“It’s a good thing it didn’t spread to the junipers,” said GCFD Battalion Chief Rob Horst as he pointed to the tall bushes lining the driveway just a few feet from the soaked, smoldering remains of the trailer.

“They may look green, but inside, there’s nothing but dead material, and they burn like crazy,” Horst said. “They make a good fence, but you don’t want them close to your house.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].