See what’s left after the biggest commercial fire in Tri-Cities history

Wendy Culverwell
·2 min read

The complicated fire that burned through a cold storage warehouse in Finley for nearly two months is “fully extinguished.”

Lineage, the global logistics company that owns cold storage facilities throughout the region, confirmed the fire was no longer burning on Thursday.

Lineage reported progress on removing 90,000 tons of debris from the massive blaze, which began on April 21.

The Lineage cold storage warehouse fire in Finley was fully extinguished as of June 20, nearly two months after it began. This an aerial view of the 525,000-square-foot building after the fire.
The Lineage cold storage warehouse fire in Finley was fully extinguished as of June 20, nearly two months after it began. This an aerial view of the 525,000-square-foot building after the fire.

It will take several weeks working with Signal Restoration Services to complete the cleanup, Lineage said on a web page established to announce new developments.

People who work or live in Finley and Kennewick can pick up free facemasks, filters, box fans and air purifiers via the Benton-Franklin Health District at a drive-thru event 6-8 p.m., Friday, June 21. It will be in the south parking lot of River View High School, 365089 S. Lemon Drive, Kennewick.

An aerial image taken before an April 22 fire destroyed the 525,000-square-foot Lineage cold storage plant in Finley.
An aerial image taken before an April 22 fire destroyed the 525,000-square-foot Lineage cold storage plant in Finley.

Aerial images of the 525,000-square-foot warehouse taken before and after the fire indicate it was nearly completely destroyed.

An image take June 18 during cleanup showed that the buildings were mostly gone but debris still remains.

It’s believed to be the largest structure fire ever in the Tri-Cities area, possibly one of the largest ever in the Northwest, some local fire officials have said.

An aerial image taken June 18 shows the site of the former Lineage cold storage warehouse after cleanup work began following an April 22 fire.
An aerial image taken June 18 shows the site of the former Lineage cold storage warehouse after cleanup work began following an April 22 fire.

Smoke plume

The initial fire broke out in the early morning hours of April 22 and sent a massive plume of smoke soaring over Finley, near the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers. The smoke was visible from 50 miles.

The Washington state Departments of Health and Ecology have installed extra sensors in the area to monitor air quality after the fire.

Fire flared up at the Kennewick Lineage cold storage warehouse in strong winds during efforts to put out the fire.
Fire flared up at the Kennewick Lineage cold storage warehouse in strong winds during efforts to put out the fire.

The loss of the cold storage warehouse destroyed frozen potatoes, corn, carrots, peas and other ready-to-ship vegetables. The loss should not affect the region’s food supply, Lineage said.

Smoke, which is toxic by definition, carried particles and gases from the building, including ammonia used as a refrigerant.

No employees were hurt in the blaze and the company has not said if it will rebuild.

A fire continued burn three weeks after it started at the Kennewick Lineage cold storage warehouse in Finley.
A fire continued burn three weeks after it started at the Kennewick Lineage cold storage warehouse in Finley.

It offered all 82 employees positions at other facilities, with about 90% returning to work within weeks.

The building was so large that Benton Fire District 1 had trouble getting water to its center. It considered the structure too unstable to send firefighters in on foot.

Flames flared up at the Lineage cold storage warehouse in Finley, more than three weeks after the fire started. Drying, once-frozen vegetables were fueling the fire.
Flames flared up at the Lineage cold storage warehouse in Finley, more than three weeks after the fire started. Drying, once-frozen vegetables were fueling the fire.

This month, the Benton County Commission asked Lineage to speed up its cleanup work because area residents were suffering from smoke coming form the then-smoldering fire.

The cause remains under investigation.

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