Dog dies in Forks mobile home fire

Published 1:30 am Sunday, January 9, 2022

FORKS — A couple’s dog died in a mobile home fire last week that left their Calawah Way home destroyed.

Forks Fire Chief Bill Paul said Friday the blaze was reported at 10:15 p.m. Wednesday in the Alder Grove Mobile Home Park.

The site had to be doused a second time Thursday at about 6 a.m. after a resident reported seeing flames in a 4-foot-by-4-foot area. A pile of clothing was burning.

“We soaked the entire area, raked through a lot of the debris and used a thermal imaging camera again to ensure there were no hot spots,” Paul said.

The couple, whose names Paul did not have, were transported to Forks Community Hospital as a precaution. The Red Cross contacted them to ensure they had shelter, he said.

Paul said the fire started behind a refrigerator.

The couple tried putting it out before fleeing, then were unable to exit the property, the only way out blocked by flames.

Paul said Forks police and fire personnel had to help them over 4-foot chain link fence, which they could not climb.

One of the couple’s two dogs perished in the blaze, he said.

The other animal, about 5-10 pounds, survived

The couple, once they were safe, were distraught.

“That’s all she was yelling about was, she still had her dog inside,” Paul said.

Paul said the park contains more than 100 mobile homes, some separated by 25 feet. None were endangered by the fire.

“We weren’t too concerned about exposure,” he said.

Paul and other fire personnel arrived within 2½ minutes of the call to 9-1-1.

“It was almost 100 percent involved when I arrived,” he said.

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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsula dailynews.com.