ILWACO, Wash. — A major fire broke out at the Port of Ilwaco on the Washington side of the Columbia River mouth on Monday, pouring "hazardous" smoke over the marina.
According to the Pacific County Sheriff's Office, the Ilwaco Landing building was on fire. It's a seafood processing facility located just west of the marina. Firefighters first got word of an electrical fire just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday. Smoke could be seen for miles as crews spent hours fighting the flames.
The fire happened weeks ahead of Dungeness crab season, which opens Feb. 1. Many people who live in the town of Ilwaco are worried about how the fire may impact the crabbing industry and their livelihoods.
”This town, Ilwaco, is a fisherman community," Natasha Beals, a resident, told Seattle affiliate KING5. "Crabbing, fishing, every single family — almost every single family — here is affected.”
No injuries were reported.
PHOTOS: Port of Ilwaco fire
"Please stay clear of the area, as there are additional fire units enroute from Raymond and Naselle," the Pacific County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. "The smoke is also hazardous and should be avoided."
People in the path of the smoke were directed to shelter in place and keep doors and windows closed, but the Pacific County Emergency Management Agency said that no evacuations were necessary.
The sheriff's office said it had closed Loop 100, the route to the Ilwaco Landing building.
In a statement Monday evening, Washington's U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said that Ilwaco Landing had suffered "significant damages."
"Thank you to the brave firefighters and first responders on the scene at the Port of Ilwaco," Cantwell said. "This is devastating news for the entire community, and I am continuing to monitor the situation closely. The waterfront is the heart of Ilwaco and the local economy. My prayers are with the entire community, including the cannery workers and fishing families who rely on the docks for their livelihoods.”
Of the 11 fire districts near Pacific County, 8 of them were involved in suppressing the fire, the Ilwaco Fire Department said in a press conference on Tuesday. The size and scale of damage of the fire was due to a lack of water flow in the area, restricting the ability to put out flames. Around 8,500 crab pots stored on the dock surrounding the canaries in anticipation of the Dungeness crab season opening also supplied extra ignition and made access to the fire difficult.
Ilwaco Fire Chief Jeff Archer said that putting out the fire almost exhausted the entire water supply in the city.
On Tuesday morning, the Washington Department of Ecology got involved to help mitigate any potential environmental concerns from fire debris in the Columbia River.
KING5 contributed to this report. This is a developing story and will be updated with more details as they emerge.
