Finley residents hire attorneys to investigate cold storage warehouse fire

It’s been more than 10 months since one of the largest warehouse fires in the Tri-Cities region. People who live near the site of the fire said they’re still suffering from health problems. Now, they’ve hired attorneys to help investigate. 

The Lineage Logistics warehouse in Finley, Washington, caught fire on April 21, 2024. The cold storage facility smoldered for nearly two months, spewing plumes of smoke.  Benton County fire officials said the fire was likely the largest structure fire the region had ever experienced.

People living nearby reported emphysema, pneumonia, bronchitis and sinus infections.

“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,” Finley resident Scott Matthews told NWPB in August.

Matthews said people could still smell the chemicals on their clothes and in their homes long after the fire was fully extinguished.

A drone picture from June 18, 2024 of cleanup efforts at Lineage Logistics after the fire had been extinguished. (Courtesy: Lineage Logistics)

In an emailed statement, Lineage Logistics said cleanup efforts concluded last October.

“We continue to work with members of the community who have reached out to Lineage on addressing their needs,” the company said in an email.

However, Finley residents have hired a team of experts to help them better understand what happened. 

“A lot of folks are struggling right now, and they’re struggling and not being given answers,” said Will Sykes, an attorney who’s helping Finley residents figure out what happened.

It’s a misconception that the environmental impacts stopped when the fire was put out, Sykes said. People are still reporting ongoing health issues, he added.

“Our understanding is the building did contain some hazardous materials. There was ammonia. A number of forklifts inside the building. Plastic pallets. Food wrapped in plastic. Insulation in the building that could be toxic when it’s burned,” Sykes said.

He spent last weekend in the area talking to people to better understand what’s going on. The team is in the middle of its investigation. People are looking for answers they feel they can’t get from the company or local governments, he said.

The group is testing well water, which Sykes believes could have been contaminated after millions of gallons of water were sprayed on the facility to put the fire out.

Earlier well tests showed persistent E. coli and bacteria. And some of the wells are still contaminated, Sykes said. Now, the team plans to conduct new testing to look for chemicals that aren’t often screened for by other organizations.

“ More recent test results have shown that there’s certain non-organic, non-biological chemicals that have kind of leached into some of these wells,” Sykes said.

 In addition, a lot of people moved into temporary housing because of contamination issues, including with well water, and still haven’t moved back, Sykes said. 

The team also heard reports of livestock and pets that died during the incident, “ ranging from chickens, goats all the way up to cows and sheep, which is concerning,” he said.

People also reported trees and plants died or wouldn’t grow, he said.

Sykes said the attorneys plan to speak with Lineage Logistics.

“We’re hopeful that Lineage is going to be willing to do the right thing,” Sykes said, “But we’ve heard a lot of frustration from the residents, and rightfully so. We haven’t gotten answers to the cause of the fire and what Lineage or other entities (are) going to do to remedy the environmental impacts of the eight weeks of smoke … and neighboring well water.”