Columbian carrier alerts couple about nearby overnight fire

Kalama — Justina Ellsworth and her fiance were out delivering The Columbian a little before 3 a.m. July 25 when they smelled a fire. She first thought it was just a bonfire. As they got closer, they saw flames about 4 feet tall were within a few feet of a nearby house. Ellsworth, who started as a carrier with The Columbian on July 12, ran to the house, banged on the door and rang the bell a few times. A man answered, she told him what was going on, and he tried to control the fire and keep it away from his house while his wife evacuated the home. They were both OK, and the fire didn’t reach the house.