Pullman fire marshals are investigating a series of cotton fluff fires that came close to damaging five homes in the College Hill neighborhood Tuesday night.
Around 10:20 p.m., Firefighters were called to the 1200 block of Hillside Drive to extinguish several fires burning in yards. The fires came within just a few feet of at least five houses, but were doused before major damage was done.
Investigators say the fires were made of fluff from Cottonwood trees. The fires were found in a variety of places, including backyards and front yards, which lead investigators to call them suspicious in nature. Another thing that raised suspicion was that the fact that the fires did not burn continuously, which is usually the case with fluff burns.
Fire Chief Mike Heston warns that cotton fluff is very combustible, and that the fires set Tuesday night could easily have caused significant damage to numerous home. Heston is warning people to be really careful around the fluff, and to be mindful of where cigarettes are put out.