As was feared, someone was inside the Neu-Tech Roofing warehouse that caught fire Tuesday morning. Since the building was outside the Kalispell City Limits, the investigation falls to the Smith Valley Fire Department. Chief Amy Beick confirms that there was a fatality and that the man has been identified and family informed. His name is being withheld.
Sheriff’s Detectives and the Flathead County Fire Investigation Team is working alongside Smith Valley to determine the cause of the inferno.
We’re now being told that workers at the new Ashley Creek Park–adjacent to the warehouse, saw the smoke and rushed to rescue the man inside, but it wasn’t possible.
The Kalispell Fire Department was first to respond, but within an hour, Evergreen Fire & Rescue had joined in the fight to quell the flames. They used their ladder truck to extend over the building to put water directly into the flames. The Kalispell Fire Department ladder truck was added to the arsenal of equipment, along with equipment and personnel from Smith Valley, Whitefish and South Kalispell Fire Departments.
The building is said to be a total loss.
