Approximately 0315 hours on Sunday morning, fire broke out at the The Grove, a student housing community (complex) with eight buildings, located in Pullman.  It was under construction for students starting the upcoming school year and they had already signed leases to occupy these apartments.

Firefighters from Pullman FD, Whitman County Fire Districts 6 & 12, Colfax City FD, Moscow Volunteer FD, and Moscow Rulra Fire District responded to large fire engulfing several unoccupied structures.

Evacuations of two other nearby apartment complexes, including the Boulder Creek complex were conducted by Pullman PD.  There were no structural damage to these two buildings, but the siding had completely melted.

Several explosions were heard putting firefighters in extreme danger with flames shooting as high as 100 feet up in the air.  Diesel fuel and gasoline on the construction site,  made things more violatile.   It took firefighters several hours to contain the blaze.

The fire damaged four out of the eight buildings, which were two weeks from completion.  Students will now have to scramble to find other housing alternatives.

The Fire Department is investigating this blaze as possible arson due to no heat sources inside the unoccupied buildings at the time.

In researching for this article, there has been many and long history in the Pullman area on related fires such as this and have found to be linked to arson.

In light of the Treyvon case, I am hoping this was not due to outcome of the case and merely just a dumb soul that will be found and arrested quickly, and not a group of those tryig to make a point through property damage.

Wishing and hoping that the Pullman FD is able to solve this case quickly and if it is arson, bringing the culprit(s) to justice swiftly.

May you all be safe out there and remember, to watch each others’ backs.

Be safe my friends.

(c) 2013  The NW Fire Blog