Firefighters are heroes to local businesses

This is what the yard at Eagle Transfer and Storage looked like Tuesday morning.

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Story Published: Aug 19, 2008 at 6:55 PM PST

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 11:54 PM PST

By Matt Loveless

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LEWISTON - The damage from the North Lewiston fire Monday night was minimal, but came very close to devastation for some of the businesses in the area.

The power pole that was hit is just across a field from Eagle Transfer and Storage, a trucking and storage business. President Milly McGarry says the resulting firestorm rolled toward her warehouse and yard very quickly.

"The wind was blowing this fireball and it was just setting all the grass on fire," said McGarry. "It blew it right up into the back of our warehouse, where we had some trailers parked, and some other equipment out there."

Two trailers and a pile of wood palettes were burnt to a crisp, but the fire just scorched one of the corners of the big warehouse.

"It was a miracle it did not get into our warehouse, thank goodness, because it....would have gone off," said McGarry. "We store all of Potlatch's clothing and their Poly-wrap, and we make deliveries to them every day, but all of that was safe and it didn't get into the warehouse."

Despite their being stretched so thin, McGarry credits local firefighters for saving the company's building and possibly their business.

"I just want to praise the Lewiston firefighters and all of them that came in to help from Clarkston and Asotin," said McGarry. "It saved our warehouse, because it could have burned the Coca-Cola warehouse, it could have burned on to P&P Truck and Trailer Repair, which are our neighbors. And maybe even the Super 8 Motel and the Flying J, because of the way the storm was going and the wind was blowing."

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