Sequim fire district set for controlled house fire burn
Published 1:30 am Friday, March 20, 2026
SEQUIM — A planned house fire is set for Saturday along South Third Avenue within Sequim’s Gerhardt Park as part of firefighters’ training exercises.
Clallam County Fire District 3 will start live fire training exercises at 8 a.m. within the two-story home in the 1600 block of South Third Avenue.
Fire Chief Justin Grider said firefighters will ignite and extinguish a series of controlled fires within the home.
The structure will be allowed to burn to the ground under controlled conditions with fire crews establishing hose lines around the home at all times to ensure the fire remains confined and fully controlled, Grider said.
Community members are asked to avoid the immediate area and consider using alternative routes, such as Happy Valley Road, because fire apparatus and equipment will be staged alongside the road.
For safety reasons, no spectator viewing areas will be available. However, fire officials will be at the Sequim Public Works yard at 670 S. Third Ave. to provide updates on the training.
Smoke occasionally may drift into nearby neighborhoods, fire officials said.
Individuals who are sensitive to smoke, including those with asthma, respiratory conditions or other health concerns, may consider closing windows and doors, staying inside or temporarily turning off outside air intake on heating/cooling systems.
The training will depend on the weather, such as high winds.
City staff said the park will be available to the public a few days after the training exercise.
“We will cordon off the immediate area around the burn location while we get things cleaned up,” Sequim Public Works Director Paul Bucich said. “We just ask the public to stay back from the working area until we have it all sorted out.”
Grider said the training will provide hands-on experience with real fire behavior in a controlled environment, allowing firefighters to test equipment, tactics and teamwork while they prepare for real emergencies.
Background on home
The home is about 80 years old and 834 square feet. It was originally 12 feet by 14 feet.
Anton “Toni” and Rosa Gerhardt bought the property in 1973 and built a second home next door in the mid-1970s.
Toni was a German captive during World War II, and most of his siblings were killed along with his parents when their family farm was invaded. Rosa immigrated to America before Anton in 1935 from her home in Moschendorf, Austria. They moved to Sequim from Chicago in the late 1960s.
Anton died in 2007 at 88 and Rosa died at 100 in 2013. In 2006, they agreed to give the property to the city of Sequim in exchange for a domestic water connection and on the condition it remain a park.
In September 2024, city staff determined the home and nearby outbuildings were unsafe and unusable and declared them surplus.
After various open house viewings, the city held a sealed bid public auction for the structures on June 6, 2025, but received no bids.
The outbuildings were demolished on June 9, 2025, with usable materials salvaged and the remainder disposed of as solid waste, city staff said.
Bucich said the city explored relocation proposals for the home with two private parties, but both fell through due to the deteriorated condition of the structure.
The city agreed to a training exercise in October 2025 with Clallam County Fire District 3 at no cost to the city.
City staff said the fire district obtained a Department of Community Development demolition permit, Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) Fire Training Approval and conducted all ORCAA abatement requirements.
A survey by NW Asbestos in December 2025 identified asbestos in the kitchen and bathroom flooring, and abatement by Advance Environmental was completed last month for just less than $7,100.
Various appliances, carpet and cabinets were removed by city crew members from the home in December.
City staff originally budgeted $150,000 to remove the home and outbuildings via demolition, but Bucich wanted to explore options of an auction to reduce costs for the city.
A master plan for the Gerhardt Park property is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year, with public outreach anticipated this spring.
For more information, visit sequimwa.gov.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
