Cause sought in Port Ludlow fire that destroys residence
Bill Beezley/East Jefferson Fire-Rescue
Firefighters battle a house blaze in the 300 block of North Bay Way in Port Ludlow on Friday afternoon.
Peninsula Daily News
Print This |
Email This
Recent Headlines
I-5 over Skagit River to be reopened this week -- 6/17/13 -12:22 PM
Canada’s Safeway supermarkets sold to new owner; no effect on Peninsula -- 6/17/13 -09:22 AM
Vote for the cutest pet — maybe the hardest decision you've ever made! -- 6/15/13 -05:33 PM
Ready, set, action! Enter PDN-PDQ Three-Minute Film Competition! -- 5/29/13 -06:59 PM
Sequim artist tapped for sandy tribute to lavender -- 6/16/13 -06:29 PM
All of the home's occupants — the woman, her grandson and a pet dog — escaped safely, said Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman.
Beezley did not know the names of the occupants of the house, which was built in 1963.
Investigators had not determined the cause of the fire on Saturday, Beezley said.
The homeowner said that she and her teenage grandson, who was visiting her, were watching television in the living room when they heard the sounds of popping coming from the bedroom and found a wall lamp and nearby curtains in flames.
She called 9-1-1 at 12:57 p.m.
Her grandson tried to use a garden hose on the fire, but found it wasn't long enough to reach the bedroom.
Fire spreads rapidly
The fire then rapidly spread, said Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue Chief Brad Martin.
“The house had a lot of material in it,” he said. “This not only accelerated the fire, but made it more difficult to extinguish.”
Beezley said he had given the homeowner contact information for the American Red Cross Olympic Peninsula chapter but didn't know if she reached Red Cross volunteers or if she stayed with nearby family members.
Because of the remote location of the house, firefighters relied on tenders for water supply, with water tenders from four fire districts supplying five fire engines, Beezley said.
Firefighters from several fire districts battled the blaze for at least three hours before it was extinguished at about 4:20 that afternoon, Beezley said.
Beezley said at least one firefighter watched the remains of the house all night until investigators arrived Saturday morning. No flare-ups were seen.
Companies from Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue, and the Quilcene, Brinnon and Discovery Bay departments were joined by an engine company from Naval Magazine Indian Island in fighting the fire.
Last modified: December 22. 2012 6:40PM
To register a complaint about a comment, email moderator@peninsuladailynews.com and refer to the article and offending comment, or click here: REPORT ABUSE.
Peninsuladailynews.com comments are subject to the Peninsuladailynews.com User Policy.