Dry Grass Spark Ignites Fire in Olmsted Addition
A rubbish fire spirals out of control, consuming a shed before the local fire department can bridge the distance from the nearest hydrant.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The fire department was given a run about 3 o’clock Monday afternoon when fire broke out in a shed at the rear of the R. E. Roberts residence in Olmsted addition. As the nearest fire hydrant is on Seventh Street, the shed had passed up in smoke before the three hose carts could be hurried to the scene and the hose laid. By use of garden hose and buckets the fire was kept from spreading to any of the nearby buildings and the damage was only nominal. Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Sherk had moved out of the Roberts house earlier in the day and had left Robt. Hamil to clean up the premises. The flames spread through the dry grass from a rubbish fire to the shed.
“As the nearest fire hydrant is on Seventh street, the shed had passed up in smoke before the three hose carts could be hurried to the scene.”
This incident highlights the perennial Kennewick challenge of dry-land fire safety, particularly in the expansion areas like the historical Olmsted addition. Even today, suburban development on the edges of the arid shrub-steppe keeps the local fire departments on high alert for grass fires threatening residential property.
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