Fallen boat results in fire on I-5

TUMWATER –– A boat that fell off the trailer was the cause of a fire early Tuesday evening on Interstate 5 at milepost 102, according to Tumwater Fire Department officials.

The boat fell off the trailer just before 6 p.m., causing friction that ignited dry grass, said Tumwater Fire Department Chief Scott LaVielle. 

“It ignited brush and trees in the area,” he said. “There was a group of three or four trees that had ignited. The fire started spreading on the ground and went up into the trees.”

LaVielle added the fire jumped from the small handful of taller trees to smaller ones in the vicinity. While there were apartment complexes and a storage unit facility nearby, no buildings caught on fire, he said. 

“The thing we wanted to do with this was we wanted to protect exposures,” he added. “We could have embers from the fire that fly through the wind and catch other things on fire.”

No injuries or deaths resulted from the fire, and everyone in the car towing the boat made it out of the situation, LaVielle said. 

Power lines in the area owned by Puget Sound Energy also sustained damage during the fire, as the flames burned through a few power lines surrounding the scene. Firefighters called out officials from the company, who came out to respond to the downed lines. 

LaVielle added he felt it was important for the public to know what they can do to protect their homes and buildings from catching on fire during a time of year when there’s very little rainfall and cool weather. 

“I’d say this was obviously accidental,” said LaVielle. “I want to stress it’s really hot and dry and people should be careful about clearing brush near and around their home and make sure any fuel doesn’t add to a potential fire. It’s going to be dry for a while, and we want to make sure people understand the need to get some good, defensible space.” 

Firefighters from McLane Black Lake Fire Department and the Olympia Fire Department all assisted in the response to the fire. LaBier said firefighters left the scene around 7:49 p.m.