Suspicious fire in fenced storage lot at Pasco Griggs being investigated (video)

Pasco firefighters and police are investigating a suspicious fire that started Saturday morning in a storage lot for Griggs Department Store.

The fire involved old shelving made of plastic, wood and metal that had been moved to a fenced lot a block away from the hardware store at 719 W. Columbia St.

“There really wasn’t a whole lot of valuable stuff, just excess shelving they were no longer using,” said Battalion Chief Don Donais.

The emergency call came in about 9 a.m.

Donais said when the crew pulled out of their North Oregon Street station, they “could see a large column of black smoke” near the downtown business. They arrived to find 30 foot flames.

A Griggs employee had unlocked the gate so they could access the fire.

Donais said there about 10 firefighters at the scene with one fire engine and an aerial ladder truck. It took them between 10 and 15 minutes to extinguish the flames.

The cause of the fire is unknown after the initial investigation. “There’s no reason for anything in that area to catch fire,” Donais said.

Anyone who has information on the fire is asked to call Pasco police at 509-545-3421.

This story was originally published June 3, 2017 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Suspicious fire in fenced storage lot at Pasco Griggs being investigated (video)."