Three homeless after Quilcene house fire
Published 12:01 am Wednesday, December 28, 2011
QUILCENE — Three people are homeless after a fire spread through the heating system of their house at 323 Cougar Run Road the day after Christmas.
The three adults and their three dogs all safely evacuated the home where the fire was reported at 2:30 p.m. Monday, said Fire Chief Bob Herbst of the Brinnon Fire Department on Tuesday.
The fire was extinguished about an hour later. Damage was kept to a minimum, said Herbst, whose department assisted the Quilcene Fire Department.
“They didn’t lose any of their belongings,” he said. “The damage was contained to the furnace itself.”
The home sustained moderate smoke damage, Herbst said.
Because of the loss of the heating system, it was not habitable and the occupants, who were not identified, were referred to the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The fire started in the home’s heating furnace and was spreading through the duct work under the floor, when firefighters arrived, Herbst said.
Firefighters controlled the fire by closing the doors to the rooms and the heating vent covers.
That kept the fire from spreading, Herbst said.
Chief Moe Moser, incident commander with the Quilcene Fire Department, said the quick thinking of the homeowner to shut off the home’s electrical power and the prudent use of a dry-chemical fire extinguisher slowed the fire and prevented a potential total loss of the home.
