Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Grass fires spread to burn three mobile homes
The three destroyed mobile homes were abandoned in an old park on Summit Street in Rosalia.
COLFAX – Tracy Porter pled guilty to reckless burning for lighting five fires to burn tall grass in Rosalia that spread to three abandoned mobile homes.
Porter, 65, of Rosalia, was charged with reckless burning in the first degree on May 3 in Whitman County Superior Court. He pled guilty on May 7.
He was sentenced on May 14 to 90 days in jail but Porter was granted a first time offender waiver for the jail time. Conditions of his waiver include 12 months of supervised probation and he's to wear an alcohol monitoring device, said Whitman County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau.
The sentencing was affected by testimony of family and friends in court.
"There was about 90 minutes of concerned statements about mental health issues," said LeBeau.
Porter is required to have evaluations and possible treatments.
The reckless burning charge stems from fires he set on April 30. Porter told deputies his family owns the abandoned trailer park on Summit Street in Rosalia.
"(He) admitted to lighting five fires on the property in order to burn the overgrown grass in and around the trailer park. Porter told investigators the wind picked up and the fires got away from him," stated Whitman County Undersheriff Chris Chapman.
Whitman County Fire District 7 arrived for a report of an abandoned mobile home burning and found two more engulfed in flames and a field next to them on fire. Whitman County fire districts 2, 3, 10, and 11 assisted in battling the blaze.
"Porter did not have the authority to be burning grass at the abandoned trailer park and put the trailers at risk by igniting the tall grasses, which grew up to the sides of the buildings," said Chapman.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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