Damage minor in residential fire

There were no injuries and damage was relatively minor when District 3 firefighters responded to 321 W. Clay Street at 12:45 a.m. January 31. The fire was inside the residence and firefighters observed smoke coming from the front door when they arrived. The resident had used a fire extinguisher prior to leaving the house, and District 3 personnel were able to extinguish the fire before it got into the wall, said Chief Jeromy Phinney. The cause of the fire, he said, appears to be a nail driven into an electrical wire behind the baseboard. The fire had spread from the baseboard to a mattress that was on the floor against the wall. Columbia/Walla Walla Fire District No. 2 was dispatched due to the possibility of needing additional firefighting resources on a structure, Phinney said. Units cleared the scene at 2 a.m.