Fire burns Finley marijuana production center

Investigators are trying to determine what sparked a fire that damaged the second floor of a Finley marijuana producer.

Flames broke out at Trichrome Technologies on South Gerards Road shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday, said Fire Chief Lonnie Click, with Benton County Fire District 1.

The owner spotted the blaze and called 911. No one was inside.

Firefighters were able to get the fire under control quickly and spent an hour making sure flames hadn’t spread beyond the second floor. The Kennewick Fire Department helped fight the fire.

There are reports the fire damaged about half of the second floor, which was being used for storage.

Click said the damage is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000. No marijuana burned.

The company grows 22 strains of marijuana, which are available in 20 different stores in the state, according to 2018 story in Hempbiz.

Benton County sheriff’s deputies were joining firefighters Wednesday morning to investigate what sparked the blaze.

The business was featured in Hempbiz, an online publication looking at the hemp business.

Austin Kenyon and his mom, Roberta, started the company in 2014.

By last year, the business had grown to become a Tier 2 operation under state law, producing 22 different strains under the name Trichrome Tech 509.

At the time, Kenyon said he was working to expand the production portion of the business. He could not be reached by the Herald on Wednesday.

This story was originally published November 6, 2019 at 12:50 PM.