Early morning fire destroys shop in Richland

RICHLAND, Wash.-- Fire destroyed a workshop on some property near West Richland early Sunday.

At about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, crews with the Richland Fire Department responded to the property on Van Giesen, near Kingston Rd. along the Yakima River, where they found the detached metal building filled with flames.

Water tenders from Benton County Fire District #2 and Benton County Fire Protection District #4 also responded because there were no fire hydrants nearby.

According to Battalion Chief James Hempstead with the Richland Fire Department, firefighters took a defensive posture with the fire, because of the instability of the building.

Crews were on the scene for several hours putting out hot spots.

There were no injuries reported, though one firefighter narrowly escaped when a section of roof fell from the building.

Hempstead said the department's Fire Marshal will work to determine the cause of the fire.