Tag Archives: Olequa Creek

Winlock, Washington – Fish die as vegetable oil runoff from fire enters creek

An oil spill of a different sort appears to have killed hundreds if not thousands of small fish in a Lewis County creek on Tuesday, said a spokesman for the state Ecology Department. Officials believe vegetable oil and shortening that had recently been delivered to a food warehouse in Winlock washed into Olequa Creek, a tributary of the Cowlitz River, as firefighters doused a fire that destroyed the warehouse early Tuesday. The spill killed fish as far as 7 miles downstream, with what appeared to be a “100 percent kill for 5 miles,” Ecology spokesman Chase Gallagher said. Read the rest here 10:11