Weippe area has three fires

During the third weekend in February there were three fires in the Weippe area.

A residence at 4333 Lower Fords Creek Rd. was destroyed in an early morning fire Feb. 21, according to Clearwater County Sheriffs Department reports. When officers arrived, the home was engulfed in flames. Weippe Fire District set up containment lines to keep the fire from spreading to nearby fields and wooded areas.

Sergio Gallegos, the resident of the house, told officers that the night before, he had smelled smoke and checked the attic to see that there was a chimney fire. The smoky smell went away. Later, his wife wakened him and said there was light at the back of the house. He checked and saw the house on fire where the electrical lines left the residence and went to the wood shed. He, his wife and children were able to get safely out of the house, but not save anything inside, the report said.

The residence belongs to James and Rhonda Said. Gallegos said he lived in the house and was caretaker of another house and surrounding property, the report continued.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Feb. 19, a barn fire was reported at 4146 State Highway 11 just south of Weippe. When officers arrived, the structure was fully involved. Traffic was stopped because pieces of the metal roofing were sliding off into the roadway. Weippe Fire District responded and set up containment lines to keep the fire from spreading to nearby fields. Conditions were very dry due to low moisture this winter, according to reports.

The barn was approximately 100 years old and contained hay and a tractor which were also destroyed.

Early Saturday morning, Weippe Fire District responded to a house fire at 1075 State Highway 11. The owner of the home, Richard T. Reid, was the only person in the residence and had no apparent injuries. He told officers that he had been awakened by a bright light that he thought was his daughter coming home. When he got out of bed, he could see that there were flames in the ceiling around the pipe of the wood stove, the report said. When he saw the fire, he ran out of the house as quickly as possible. Reid also said that a dog and two cockatoos were in the house and died in the fire. Two dogs that were outside were not injured, CCSO reports said.

Weippe Fire Chief James Cahala said the home was fully engulfed when they arrived. They moved a van from the front of the house, but one side was already on fire. The home was destroyed and the van damaged extensively, according to the reports.

Photos: Top--This barn fire just south of Weippe on State Highway 11 destroyed the structure. Middle--Notice the burning tractor in this photo. Bottom--The barn was totally destroyed. (Photos courtesy of Clearwater County Sheriffs Department)