A late-night fire Wednesday destroyed the gas station and mini mart at BJ’s Shell station in Cashmere.
The fire started in a motorhome, which was parked on the west side of the building, then spread to the gas station building, firefighters said. The pumps, separated by about 70 feet from the building, did not catch fire.
“The building is completely gone,” said Bob Brownlee, a firefighter from Chelan County Fire District 1 at Sunnyslope who helped battle the fire. Cashmere Fire Chief Matt Brunner could not be reached for comment.
The fire was reported to the RiverCom dispatch center at 10:16 p.m. The gas station is at 102 Titchenal Way.
The fire was difficult to fight, Brownlee said. “Once it gets between the ceiling and the roof, it’s just about impossible to get access to the fire,” he said. “You can’t put people on the roof because it’s too unstable, and you can’t put people in the interior because the ceiling starts falling in.”
The cause of the fire in the motorhome was not available.