Grass fire forces evacuation at Kennewick wellness clinic

Employees and customers evacuated from a Kennewick wellness center Tuesday after a fire sent black smoke pouring into the gym.

A Pacific Clinic of Kennewick employee called 911 after seeing the smoke coming through the gymnasium vents at 6:45 p.m.

The employee said the building, located at 1350 N. Grant St., was evacuated, the Kennewick Fire Department said in a release.

The release didn’t say how many people were inside at the time.

Benton County Fire District 1 firefighters stationed across the street also spotted black smoke blowing out of the gymnasium and responded to the scene.

Kennewick firefighters arrived about five minutes later and discovered vegetation burning next to the building.

Smoke from the fire was blowing in through an air conditioning unit. The fire was out within 18 minutes.

Damage was contained to the exterior, an air conditioning unit and a ventilation conduit to the gym.

No one was hurt in the fire.

The cause is still under investigation.

Pacific Clinic changed its name from the Tri-City Court Club when it reopened as a functional wellness center in August 2020.

The clinic posted on Facebook that the business was open Wednesday for its normal hours, but the gymnasium would be closed until further notice.