Homeless man’s lighter destroys former Columbia Park campground building

A homeless man was trying to find something in the dark when he started a blaze that destroyed a building in Columbia Park early Sunday.

Brandon Patrick, 49, told investigators he was using his lighter to search in the former campground when he got too close to flammable materials, Kennewick Fire Chief Chad Michael said.

When firefighters arrived around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, they discovered a vacant building in the former campground on the west end of the park engulfed in flames and another of the four buildings there was threatened.

Crews from the Kennewick Fire Department and Benton County Fire District 1 put out the flames quickly.

The former campground opened in 1960 and operated until 2003.

Patrick was cited for first-degree reckless burning and released by Kennewick police.

This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 12:51 PM.