Fire crews from Yakima County Fire District 5 had to battle two fires less than a mile apart from one another Saturday.
The first call for help went out just before 1:30 a.m. to a house fire on South Street in Wapato. When fire crews got to the scene, they said they could see smoke and flames coming from the home and it was spreading to nearby structures. More than a dozen firefighters worked to put out the blaze and tried to protect other nearby buildings. They said they were able to successfully stop the fire from spreading, however, the home could not be saved. The house is considered a total loss and caused about $35,000 worth of damage, according to the preliminary fire report.
While fire crews were still working the fire on South Street, a call for help went out for another active fire less than a mile away.
Fire crews were called to the 100 block of Kemper Lane around 4 a.m. for a report of another house on fire.