David Ripp, the Executive Director of the Port of Camas-Washougal, which owns the airport, said 10 to 12 planes and three to five vehicles were damaged.
Ripp said 12-14 hangars in three rows on the west end of the airport burned, destroying an estimated 10,000 square feet of the building.
The fire, reported at 10:22 p.m. Monday, started in the airport’s hangar C and quickly went to a second-alarm when firefighters arrived and found heavy flames coming from multiple hangars.
Many of the damaged airplanes have been described as small, privately owned fixed-wing crafts. The State Fire Marshals Office has not released a preliminary cause.
State Fire Marshalls are still waiting to get inside the airport, Ripp said. The airport is expected to remain closed for the next couple of days, he said.
Firefighters took a “defensive” approach while fighting the fire because of the intense heat and several explosions. A defensive approach means firefighters did not enter the hangars and used their water supplies to fight the fire from the outside.
Ripp said the airport’s manager felt an explosion at his residence about a mile away around the time of the first fire reports.
“I just got to say the fire department, they rock,” said Ripp. The Camas Fire Department conducted a hangar mock drill, which was critical in stopping the fire, he said.
“They were hitting the ground running when they got here.”
The building, which was built to code at the time of construction, does not have sprinklers or fire walls.
“I saw heartbreak, said Frank Spencer, whose Cherokee 180 plane was destroyed. “I saw my retirement fun and games gone so that will end that.”
Spencer said he flew his plane only yesterday.
“The whole airplane, I mean you can literally pick it up with one hand.”
Ripp said the airport has 79 hangars. It is open 24 hours, seven days a week for smaller airplanes. All vehicle and pedestrian access has been disabled. Several airplane owners stopped by early Tuesday morning to check on their airplanes but were unable to access the airfield.
The fire was described as “under control” by 11 p.m. Monday, Ripp said.
Airport officials confirmed they undergo yearly fire inspections and do training with the fire department, which is the building next door.
Ripp describes Grove Field Airport as a “family atmosphere airport.” He said the pilots association holds fundraisers for students who want to study aviation.
Because of its size, Grove Field Airport does not have an air traffic control tower. Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed they were aware of the fire but were unable to provide additional information.
-Source: http://koin.com
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