BRINNON – Fire investigators don’t know yet what set off a conflagration that destroyed a home on U.S. Highway 101 in Brinnon on Wednesday.
“At this time, the investigation is still in progress,” said Brinnon Fire Department Chief Bob Herbst on Thursday.
The blaze exploded a propane tank and the sheer heat of the fire detonated ammunition rounds within the house.
No one was injured.
The resident of the house at 304164 U.S. Highway 101, Wanda Falcone, was not inside when the fire began just before 11 a.m.
Herbst had been in touch with Falcone by Thursday and said she had a place to stay.
“From what I understand, her children came from Seattle to pick her up,” said Herbst.
She had rented the house for the last three years.
According to the Jefferson County Assessor’s Office, the 1,260-square-foot house was valued at $162,525 and rested on a half-acre of property overlooking Hood Canal on the west side of Highway 101.
The owner of the house is listed as Renton resident James Dalgleish, according to the Assessor’s Office.
Attempts to contact Dalgleish on Thursday were unsuccessful.
Herbst said the investigation involves interviewing witnesses, taking photographs and analyzing forensic evidence taken from the charred remains of the house.
Because of the extent of the damage, the investigation will not be a simple task, Herbst said.
“Determining the actual cause of the fire may take an extended period of time,” he said.
Once all the evidence is gathered, Herbst will scrutinize it to determine both the point-of-origin and the cause with help from the Jefferson County Fire Task Force, led by East Jefferson Fire-Rescue Chief Mike Mingee.
About 25 Jefferson and Mason county firefighters from five departments fought the fire.
Billowing smoke prompted the state Department of Transportation to close both lanes on Highway 101 for the first hour of the fire.
The highway was narrowed to a single lane for three hours after that before all lanes were re-opened .
