Fire destroys apartment

Fire destroyed a second-story garage apartment on Lance Road in Plainview on Wednesday, March 12. Flames consumed the apartment in minutes, destroying all the possessions of the newly moved-in renters.

Cloverdale fire chief Chuck Cable determined that the blaze started near a recently serviced propane heater.

Cloverdale fire units responded to the scene within eight minutes, but the structure was already fully involved, fanned by 15-20 mile-per-hour winds.

According to Cloverdale fire district reports, the renter, Ellie Seiber, said that a Farrel Gas service representative had just checked the unit's propane heater because the pilot light kept going out.

Seiber said the service representative stuffed newspaper around the

propane line feeding the stove and pilot light.

According to Cable, the service representative later acknowledged to him that he had stuffed the newspaper into the hole.

According to fire district reports, an investigation concluded that "the cause (was) determined to be combustibles in close proximity to the pilot light, ignition source, in addition to propane fuel line."

Although county records indicate that only one permit was issued for the property, owner Dennis Enger told The Nugget that the construction was approved when the building was put up in the late 1970s.

He said that he and his wife lived in the apartment for several years before their current residence on the property was completed. Since then, they have rented out the apartment.

Enger said that he was sure the county would not allow the structure to be rebuilt

as an apartment now.

"I'm sure they won't," he said. "It's against the rules now."

Cable said Seiber and her co-renter David Elder are staying with family in the area. According to Enger and his wife, Deanna, an account has been set up at Bank of the Cascades to take donations to help the Seiber and Elder restore their losses

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Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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