The derelict house at Heron & L, across from Safeway, caught fire this afternoon. I heard it was going to be torn down tomorrow.

KIRO TV flew down for a look.

I was really surprised at all the attention that was given to the burning of a boarded up eyesore. I was on my way home about 5pm and you'd think there was a parade going on for the amount of people walking around watching a building burn.

My wifes sister called and asked if the D&R was burning because on the news it was refered to as a local landmark.

It was built in 1898, according to the assessor's site. No doubt the DW will refer to it as "historic."

While in line with groceries, the clerk said the building was scheduled for demolition today. She said the owner found 4 people squatting in the house Wednesday and kicked them out. There was initial suspicion they set it on fire before they left.

Just passing on the gossip... no confirmation whatsoever.

I heard the same thing too, Stash.

OMG! My Grandmother's whorehouse burnt down?!

Maybe it is just me, but would it kill the Aberdeen Police Department to do a little traffic directing when these things happen? The traffic was backed up all the Way down Park to Simpson, and all that had to be done was to direct eastbound traffic down Market, or First. Instead, people ended up having to go to State Street, and you had two lanes of traffic trying to make a left one into one lane on State Street. What a mess.

I think most of the cops were busy controlling the crowd and traffic in the immediate vicinity of the fire.
I'm not sure how a cop is supposed to look at traffic on Park, identify those who intend to go east, and communicate to them that:

• They can't use Heron.
• They can use Market or First.
• Why this is.
• Why they should have to accept this intrusion into their routine.

Which really means that they were watching the fire, like everyone else.

Whether traffic was going East or South, it would have been better to re-direct it down Market. The South bound traffic could have gone onto the Chehalis River bridge by turning on H (I think it is) and the rest of us could have turned right and got back onto Heron once we got past the fire.

I think the tangle of getting them into the left lane on Park or across Market would be ugly as well. This would then bog down Wishkah which, except for lookiloos would have no reason to slow down.

a lot of locals probably knew better and got into the left lane and turned down Market anyway.

I was on my way to a meeting and, thankfully, had turned on 1320AM and they announced it just as I was turning the old Ice Palace corner. So I routed myself down 1st St. and H (or whatever one it is that takes me to the Chehalis Bridge). Or I might have accidentally found myself in the middle of the mess.