MONTESANO, Wash. — The Montesano police chief tells KIRO 7 Eyewitness News that a fire Sunday night that engulfed the grandstand at Montesano High School's stadium is suspicious.
KIRO 7 has also learned there was a small fire in the high school stadium's grandstand about four weeks ago, and that the first fire is also considered suspicious. It was spotted about 5:15 a.m. by people walking in area and was quickly extinguished with little damage.
The stadium will likely be a complete loss from Sunday night's fire, officials said.
The fire quickly spread to the roof and majority of the surrounding structure but crews were able to contain it to just the stadium. The school and gymnasium were not damaged.
Sunday's is the second large fire for the Montesano community within a month. Many KIRO 7 viewers are pointing out on Facebook that this is the second big blow for the community still dealing with fall-out from last month's mill fire.
There is no immediate cause on Sunday night's fire but investigators are expected to remain on scene through Monday morning. It is unclear how this will affect the Montesano High School football season.