Arson suspected In Thursday Morning Fire On South Wenatchee Ave.

Arson is suspected in a fire that damaged a building at 611 South Wenatchee Avenue just before 5am Thursday. 

Firefighters say the fire started outside the back of the building where pallets, tires and oil drums served as combustibles and caused large flames. 

Wenatchee Valley Fire Department Chief Brian Brett says they were mostly able to keep the fire from reaching the inside of the building, 

"We had to put a couple of holes in the roof to put a stop on the fire as it breached through from the exterior to the interior," said Brett. "It had foam insulation which allowed the fire to punk and run. And we had to do a little bit of access to get the fire out." 

The fire was started on the backside of E&G Brothers construction company, which used to be Biker’s World. 

Wenatchee Police are looking for an arson suspect after an eyewitness provided information, including a description of the suspect and the direction that person headed on foot. 

Brett says a quick response by firefighters kept the fire from spreading. 

"The crews were able to stop the damage right there," Brett said. "The contents of the occupancy had some very nice vehicles inside. Crews were able to cover those with salvage tarps and protect them. They had some minimal smoke on them.” 

Brett said the adjacent business, a Habitat for Humanity thrift store, had a hint of smoke inside, but was otherwise not harmed. 

A taco truck on the north side of the building was also unharmed. 

Brett said seven fire engines, two command officers and single fire engines from Leavenworth and Orondo were sent to the scene. 

No injuries were reported. Wenatchee Ave. was blocked at the fire scene for several hours and traffic was rerouted.