BRINNON – The Sequim Irrigation Festival float was destroyed in a fire while it was parked in the day-use section of Dosewallips State Park on Saturday.
But the festival queen and princesses will make a comeback for three more parades, said float escort Hattie Dixon.
“It’s burned beyond repair,” Dixon said Tuesday.
The float, with its “112 Years and Still Rockin'” theme, was on its way back from the Hoquiam Loggers’ Playday parade when it caught fire.
The cause of the blaze is unknown, said Chief Bob Herbst of the Jefferson County Fire District No. 4 Brinnon.
“It was a 20-foot covered trailer, and there was black smoke coming from the rear door of trailer and frame,” said Herbst, whose department was assisted by Quilcene firefighters at the scene.
The float was a total loss, but firefighters saved the attached trailer, Herbst said.
Dixon said the Irrigation Festival committee had no insurance on the float.
But she said that, already, Ruddell Auto Mall has offered to provide convertibles for the festival royalty to ride in during the Sept. 22 Quilcene Parade, the Issaquah Salmon Days parade on Oct. 6 and the Dec. 1 Shelton Christmas parade.
Irrigation Festival queen Janaye Birkland and her court, Amanda Cerutti, Carolina Garcia and Rebekah Harasick, had 17 parades on their schedule this year, including Victoria Days in May and the Seafair Torchlight Parade July 28.
During the latter procession through Seattle, the float’s engine overheated, rendering it immobile.
The girls opted to walk the parade route, and won the spirit award.
The cause of Saturday’s fire is under investigation, Herbst said.
While the vehicle was a 1957 Chevrolet from the front fender forward, Herbst said, the chassis was believed to be that of a newer model Ford.
“We had to utilize a little ingenuity to pull the vehicle from the trailer,” he said.
Dixon added that in forthcoming parades, the trailer may sport some flames, perhaps painted on or applied as decals.
