Mid-morning fire guts home north of Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Units from Grant County Fire District 5 responded at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning when a fire consumed a single-family dwelling in the 4400 block of Chera Place, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kyle Foreman.

“The house was occupied by at least one person, an elderly gentleman, who was awakened this morning when a neighbor or a passerby pounded on his door to tell him that his house was on fire,” Foreman said. “He was able to make it out okay.”

The house, located on the corner of Chera Place and Broad Street NE west of the S.R. 17 and Grape Drive Roundabout, was fully engulfed in flames when GCFD5 fire crews arrived in force to battle the blaze.

Foreman said an “all department” alert was sent out across GCFD5, including tanker trucks and multiple fire engines, as well one AMR Medical Response ambulance and a Grant County Public Utility District service truck.

“I don’t know the exact number of who’s all here, but it’s a large amount of Fire District Five equipment and personnel,” he said.

The house was likely a total loss, Foreman noted, given that nearly all of the roof was burned through by 10 a.m. Foreman also said the GCSO was going to contact the Red Cross to help provide shelter to its displaced resident.

Foreman also said he could not confirm how many people had been living in the house, or if there were any animals present as well, and that it was too early to determine the cause of the fire.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com