Cause of fire at former mill unknown

MARYSVILLE — The owners of the vacant Welco Lumber mill in Marysville have been working to fix code violations and make the site less attractive to squatters, according to city and fire officials.

A fire that broke out in an empty building at the site on Jan. 11 was one of many there since the mill closed in 2007.

The recent fire caused roughly $6,000 in damage, Marysville Fire Marshal Tom Maloney said Tuesday. There was not enough evidence at the scene to pinpoint exactly what caused the fire, he said. The investigation is wrapping up.

The former five-acre mill site on the Ebey Slough waterfront off of First Street has been a known hang-out spot for the homeless. The recent fire highlighted several ongoing code issues on the property, Maloney said.

The city and the fire district met with the owners to talk about what needed to be fixed. No fire-safety citations were issued, because the owners have been responsive, Maloney said.

The owners are adding lighting on the site and removing flammable debris, including plywood and lumber.

City Administrator Gloria Hirashima on Tuesday said Welco has been working to secure and clean up the site with an eye toward future use.

“Their intent is to lease or sell the facility,” she said.

The site is now a vacant lot with the shell of the old mill building still standing. Siding has been removed from several locations around the building.

The fire broke out about 10 p.m. and burned for about 30 minutes. More than two dozen firefighters were called to the scene.

Fire officials say they’ve received two or three calls a year for fires at the site, including an arson by local teenagers in summer 2010.

The mill and lumber yard operated for several decades.

Peter Garrett purchased the mill in the 1960s and it ran from then until its closing in 2007, according to Eric Erickson’s “Lumber and Shingles Business Index.”

In its heyday, the mill provided jobs to 150 people, producing cedar fencing and dimensional lumber that was used primarily in home construction.

Welco Lumber closed its Marysville mill with a drop in the area’s home construction market.

Marysville, like many other Snohomish County cities, has a rich timber history. In 1908, it had nine shingle mills and three sawmills in addition to jobs in the woods, according to historical accounts.

E.J. Anderson opened the first sawmill in Marysville in 1887, a stone’s throw from the Welco site.

Reporter Eric Stevick contributed to this story. Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Everett police searching for missing child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive. The child was missing under “suspicious circumstances.”

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

T.J. Peters testifies during the murder trial of Alan Dean at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bothell cold case trial now in jury’s hands

In court this week, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa Lee denied any role in her death. The defendant, Alan Dean, didn’t testify.

A speed camera facing west along 220th Street Southwest on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Washington law will allow traffic cams on more city, county roads

The move, led by a Snohomish County Democrat, comes as roadway deaths in the state have hit historic highs.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.