“There definitely is somebody starting fires at the sawmill,” said Wellington Fire Chief Matt Perea in response to a fire Sunday night – the second call of the evening for the fire department.
The first call came in just after 5:00 p.m. for a structure fire at 5633 South Upper Miller Creek Road. Chief Perea said that fire was accidental and resulted from a stove fire. The homeowner thought the fire was extinguished and opened the windows to let the smoke clear out, then left for town.
The fire flared up again and spread to a garbage can before a passerby saw the smoke and called it in. Firefighters had the fire out “pretty quick,” but the home sustained smoke and water damage.
Perea said the second call came shortly after 8:00 p.m. for a fire at the “Old Sawmill” on Ridge Road. It was the second fire to be reported at an open building on the property in the last six days. Some plywood shelving and some discarded material were damaged, but the fire department had the fire out in about 10 minutes.
Chief Perea said there is no electric service to the building so that has been ruled out as a cause. He couldn’t speculate whether someone has a grudge or whether someone is just trying to keep warm but, “The fires are certainly being set intentionally.”
Perea said he has notified law enforcement of his findings.
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