By GEORGE KUNKE
The South Bend Fire Department responded to a residential fire at 724 Dakota St. in South Bend late Sunday night (Aug. 4). The fire caused a “spot fire” on the roof of a neighbor’s house at 728 Dakota St., according to South Bend Fire Chief Alan Ashley.
Chief Ashley did not know what caused the fire.
“The fire is still under an active investigation,” Ashley told the Herald Monday morning.
A total of 18 responders and three fire trucks from the South Bend Fire Dept. were at the scene. The Raymond Fire Department sent over six personnel, an engine and a support unit.
South Bend received the fire call at 10:57 p.m. and the two teams left the scene at 1:30 a.m. Monday.
There were no injuries but three pet dogs perished in the blaze.
“A man was home but he escaped without injures,” Ashley said.
The damage to the house at 724 Dakota St. was listed at $120,000, and the damage to the garage and its content was $25,000, according to Ashley. The damage to the roof at 728 Dakota St. was $2,500.
Man Stuck in Mud
According to Raymond Fire Chief Todd Strozyk, the Raymond Fire Department responded to a 54-year-old Vancouver man who was stuck in the mud while clamming in Willapa Bay last Thursday morning around 8 o’clock.
Units were dispatched to State Route 105 at milepost 16, where the man was stuck in the mud approximately 200 yards from the roadway.
At total of seven Raymond Fire Personnel responded with a medic unit, engine company and a command unit. The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the incident.
Chief Strozyk reported that the man was with friends and family digging steamer clams when he got into a dangerous, soft area of sand and mud. As the man was trying to free himself, he continued to sink waist deep. Family members called 911.
“When firefighters arrived, it took about 15 minutes to access the patient due to the dangerous, muddy conditions,” Strozyk said in a release. “Fire crews were able to dig the man out and assist him back to the road. Luckily, it was an outgoing tide.”
The man was assessed by Raymond Fire Department medics and released without injuries.