Early morning fire destroys produce shed

Drivers traveling along Highway 12 near the Pasco-Kahlotus Highway early Friday morning noticed flames and called 911, reporting what appeared to be a field fire.

When Pasco Police and Pasco Fire arrived on the scene, they found an onion storage shed engulfed in flames.

"An employee from another company out in the area could see that it was a structure on fire, and the first arriving units found a storage shed that was fully-engulfed," said Ben Shearer with the Pasco Fire Department.  "The biggest concern was two big propane tanks on the north end  of the building. One of the supply lines had broken, it was venting and on fire. So those first arriving crews worked on keeping those propane tanks contained, keeping them venting, and we just let them burn once we had them secured."

Shearer says the dangers and extent of the fire prompted fire fighters to take a defensive stance, and worked to prevent it from spreading to other nearby structures. The shed eventually caved in on itself.

No one was hurt  in the fire, and the cause is under investigation.