SNOVALLEY STAR
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016
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Investigator: Oily rags started fire that destroyed North Bend home King County fire investigators have determined the cause of a North Bend house fire that destroyed a family’s home on July 27. The homeowners were staining a deck in the breezeway between the house and garage. Oily used rags were left in a pile on the deck and
spontaneously combusted into flames, Eastside Fire & Rescue Assistant Fire Marshal Mark Lawrence said. Eventually the whole house caught fire while the family was away from home. Eastside firefighters responded to the scene on Southeast 171 Street, in the Edgewick area of North Bend. Because there are no fire hydrants in the area, they were
forced to draft water from a nearby pond and shuttle water in using 3,000 gallon truck tanks, Battalion Chief Dave McDaniel said. A few large trees near the home caught fire but were quickly extinguished, McDaniel said. The home itself took several hours to extinguish. There were no injuries to firefighters or humans, but the
RIVERWALK From Page 1
Park. Sanders said the city is in talks with the property owner, but does not know when or if a deal will be reached. Rick Bastedo and his daughter Violet attended the meeting together. They live on a riverfront property off the corner of Southeast River Street and Park Avenue Southeast. A section of the proposed Riverwalk, possibly an elevated “canopy walk” section, would run through their backyard. “It’s a huge plan, sort of all around us,” Rick Bastedo said. Violet Bastedo was concerned that people on the canopy walk could see into their windows and would negatively impact the home and yard she grew up in — a home that carries sentimental value for the Bastedo family. “Any way I could keep my backyard would be amazing,” Violet Bastedo told the planners and designers at the meeting. Rick Bastedo purchased the home and property in 1989 and raised his family there. Multiple Bastedo children were born inside the house, Violet being the first born at a hospital. Two of Rick’s daughters were married in his backyard, a place he worked hard to transform into a small park for his family. Violet said she remembered her dad toiling on a tractor to remove 12-foot-high sticker bushes in the yard. Rick Bastedo graded the slope and landscaped the “per-
SCOTT STODDARD | sstoddard@snovalleystar.com
Above, Rick Bastedo stands in his backyard next to the Snoqualmie River. A portion of the Snoqualmie Riverwalk (as shown in plans at right) might cut through the yard in the future.
sonal park” himself. He said he enjoys fishing with his grandsons on his property along the banks of the river. Prior to the meeting, the city had not approached Bastedo about their designs that cut through his yard, he said. Sanders mentioned a few options at the meeting regarding the intrusion of a path through the property, such as buying that portion of land or possibly using eminent domain. “Some of the area perceived to be part of the backyard probably isn’t,” Sanders said during a phone interview. King County’s parcel viewer shows a small strip of city-owned land runs along Bastedo’s backyard near the river shore — the section Sanders referred to. Bastedo said he thinks this narrow strip of land was part of an easement
granted in the 1960s that allowed trucks to come in and dump large boulders along the shore to protect against erosion. He said they dumped their loads and never used the easement again. There is a question now of whether it has become a “vacated easement.” “It’s hard to find an
family dog was killed in the fire. Certain stains containing linseed oil can create heat as the oil dries out, Lawrence said. The heat in the pile of used rags is what eventually started the house fire. Lawrence warned the public to carefully follow the manufacturer’s recommended safe guards and discard instructions for used rags and stain material.
Dean and Bridgett McCain and their four daughters lost their entire home and most of their possessions in the fire, according to a GoFundMe page set up by Dean’s sister. As of press time, the page has collected nearly $6,000 from 77 donations. If you’d like to donate to the family, go to gofundme.com and search “Dean & Bridgett McCain & Kids.”
begin. Sanders said that portion of the plan was very expensive and wasn’t part of any scheduled phase. “It was phase question mark,” Bastedo said. He hopes that the designers will come up with alternatives in the meantime, he said. Sanders said there is a developed access way west of the house, not through the backyard, that has potential for development. “That may actually make a shorter segment more cost feasible,” Sanders said For now, Bastedo and Sanders will focus on working together on restoration of the riverfront area. Invasive Knotweed has taken hold along the river in recent years. It is choking out even the blackberry bushes that used to reign over the area.
apple-to-apple trade,” Bastedo said of his backyard. An amount of money wouldn’t necessarily allow him to enjoy his yard like he currently does. Maintenance costs After the meeting, Maintenance for the Sanders eased Bastedo’s Riverwalk is estimated worries a bit by saying to be $20,000-$30,000 it would be a minimum per year, Sanders said. In of five to 10 years before addition to the any construction would SANDY.FINAL.SV.CMYK.PDF 0729 LAMpaths, the
designs included enlarging the parks along the walk, adding new public restrooms and adding parking areas, among other things. Bastedo said that the maintenance could cost more than the estimate after the structures wear out over the years and endures flood waters. A woman at the meeting also expressed her concern over maintenance costs to the planners. One of the goals for the Riverwalk is to draw tourists from Snoqualmie Falls into downtown Snoqualmie. People might spend their money at local businesses once they get to town. Snoqualmie Parkway, the road going to Interstate 90, pulls tourists in vehicles away just before they get to town. The designers said they hoped the Riverwalk, which would connect to the bridge near the falls, would give people a reason to stay in the area and visit downtown, stimulating the local economy.
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BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com