Health district secures grant funds, distributes response survey after Lineage warehouse fire

A few days ago, Finley resident Scott Matthews was at the local general store. He ran into someone who asked him to smell their T-shirt.

Matthews declined. He knew what the shirt would smell like. It’d have the odor of the toxic stench that smothered Finley for nearly two months this spring as the Lineage Logistics cold storage warehouse smoldered.

“The man said, ‘No matter how much I wash this shirt, it still smells,’” Matthews said, remembering the encounter.

Clothes and homes in Finley still reek of the smoke.

Their lettuce and tomatoes taste like chemicals, Matthews said.

The Lineage Logistics fire burned for nearly two months in the small, census-designated place outside the Tri-Cities. Debris demolition is ongoing.

Matthews called the fire a horrible experience for everyone in the area.

“The heaviness of the smoke. The chemical burn of the smoke. It would burn your sinuses. You could feel it in the back of your throat. Headaches, nosebleeds, eye irritation,” he said.

The fire was likely the largest structure fire in the Tri-Cities. The 12-acre warehouse stored racks of frozen vegetables like carrots, corn and peas.

That and more burned, creating piles of debris that firefighters couldn’t reach.

Grant help
People developed bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia. Livestock died, including four lambs a young girl was going to take to the county fair. Around five nearby residential wells are still tainted with E. coli, likely caused by runoff from the fire. Much is still unknown about the air toxins.

That’s not to mention the “massive, massive” mental stress people have suffered, Matthews said.

“There was a point in the community, no matter where I was at, you felt the tension in the air, the emotions, the anger,” he said.

People who were forced to leave their homes after the fire this spring could get some money back through a grant program.

The Benton-Franklin Health District said people who live within a half mile to a mile of the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire can apply for funds if they had to move themselves or pets away from smoke during the fire. The health district has up to $300,000 in total from a Department of Commerce emergency response grant.

Sierra Knutson, with the Benton-Franklin Health District, said people have complained about mental and physical challenges.

“It’s pretty significant,” Knutson said. “Your home is really impacted and some may have not returned. Some are really struggling to be inside because of the well water. So it’s really, really stressful. It wasn’t just, ‘Oh, we had some smoke in the home for a couple of weeks and it’s okay.’ There’ve been some long, long lasting impacts.”

There’s no limit on how much help people can ask for, Knutson said. Residents just need to show receipts from things like hotels or Airbnbs. The health district is asking the Commerce Department whether the reimbursements can also help people with home remediation, she said.

“We’re not trying to try or tie people up in red tape, making it very difficult,” she said. “We’ve very intentionally made the process to gain access to funds a very low barrier because they don’t need one more thing to be stressed out about.”

However, Matthews said everyone in Finley should be eligible for help. He and his family live roughly three miles from the warehouse.

“For the residents of Finley, it needs to go to everyone,” he said. “We need to be fair about this and do this the right way — not isolated, not within your circumference zones. Everybody, even where we live, people were impacted by this.”

To help with the persistent E. coli problem, the health district has offered families UV filters and is giving out bottled water for people and animals to drink, Knutson said.

“For some reason (the E. coli is) being resistant in a couple of those families’ wells, but we’re not done with it. We’re going to keep pursuing it. But that has been kind of a pickle for us,” she said.

She said the health district doesn’t have the ability to test homes for toxins from the smoke.

During the event, the state Department of Ecology installed a permanent air monitor at Finley Middle School to gauge small particles in the air, known as particulate matter 2.5.

Those tiny particles are present in smoke and can be harmful for people with heart and lung conditions and for people who are pregnant.

The health district deactivated PurpleAir monitors after the fire was extinguished on June 20. According to the health district, the PurpleAir monitors didn’t accurately measure larger particles from construction and demolition debris.

Health survey
If you live within one mile of the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire, the health district would like your help.

The Benton-Franklin Health District is asking people to fill out a survey about the mental and physical health effects they’ve noticed because of the fire. The survey is in response to concerns raised during a May 29 community town hall.

“Our goal is to take that data and better improve our response,” Knutson said. “Lord willing, we don’t have another event, but (if) that’s what happens, we can be more prepared.”

If you live within a mile of the fire, you’ll notice the survey in your mail — it’s a red, blue and white envelope that says “Lineage response.” The survey can be filled out online, over the phone or by mail. Survey forms are due Sept. 6.

To apply for the reimbursements, call the health district’s Environmental Health programs at 509-460-4205. You’ll need documentation of your expenses, like hotel receipts.