A fire at the Port of Ilwaco that sent plumes of black, hazardous smoke into the air Monday afternoon occurred as people in the fishing industry were preparing for Dungeness crab season to begin.
The Ilwaco Landing facility near the mouth of the Columbia River started burning around 12:30 p.m. Smoke could be seen for miles. Additional fire units from Raymond and Naselle traveled to Ilwaco to help fight the fire, according to the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office.
The county issued a community protection announcement, asking people to close doors and windows to protect against the hazardous smoke coming from the fire. As of 5:30 p.m., most of the danger from the smoke had passed, according to emergency management officials.
No injuries were reported.