The home in Cherry Grove was a complete loss. Photo: Wash. Co. Sheriff’s Office
CHERRY GROVE – A home was a complete loss in a fire on the morning of Monday, July 22 in rural Cherry Grove.
Now the Washington County Sheriff’s Office says two white male teen suspects were spotted running from the scene — one holding what looked like a gas can — toward SW Lee Falls Road.
Cherry Grove, an unincorporated community west of Gaston and south of Gales Creek, was a chaotic scene, with multiple agencies, including the Gaston Rural Fire Protection District, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and more descending on the home at SW Cherry Grove Drive and SW Fir Street.
Crews were tasked with battling the residential fire and a 1/4 acre grass fire sparked by flames from the home, according to public information officer Matt Johnston.
While fire agencies fought the blaze, a Washington County Sheriff’s Office detective began investigating the cause of the fire.
According to a news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, multiple witnesses reported seeing two white male teenagers, ages approximately 13 to 15, running from the property just before the fire started around 11 a.m.
One of the suspects was wearing a white t-shirt and tan pants or shorts; a gray or silver SUV is also potentially associated with the two teens.
No one was inside the home, which was a complete loss, during the fire.
Anyone with information about the suspects may contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2500.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
