QUILCENE — A Wednesday night house fire on Boulton Farm Road claimed the lives of two unidentified residents, Quilcene Fire District and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
No cause of the fire has been determined but investigators were at the scene this morning, officials said.
The fire was reported at about 8:21 p.m. by a Boulton Farm Road passer-by who called emergency 9-1-1.
“At the time of the call, flames could be seen coming from the sides and top of the main floor of the daylight basement structure,” the report states.
Quilcene fire officials said the blaze was primarily located on the main floor of the home and they had searched the home for any persons that might still be in the house.
Neighbors were unsure if the residents were home at the time of the fire. However, fire officials later reported two bodies were found inside the house.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office as of this morning had not released the identities of the victims.
Quilcene Fire District Willie Knoepfle, incident commander at the scene, said the main south half of the house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
“We were immediately put into a defensive mode to knock the flames down before we could get into the structure,” he said.
Downed power lines around the structure were a major safety concern for fire officials in the initial phase of the fire fight.
Quilcene Fire District No. 2 was the first on scene. Firefighters from Discovery Bay Fire Department, Port Ludlow Fire-Rescue and East Jefferson Fire-Rescue also responded and fought the fire. Fire watch crews remained on scene through the night.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause and origin of the fire. A regional task force has been called in for assistance in helping to process the fire scene, officials said.
Information will be provided as it is becomes available, officials said.
The sheriff’s office asks that anyone that might have seen the fire start, or might have any information about the fire, to contact them.
Contact Undersheriff Tony Hernandez at 360-385-3831, ext. 552, or ahernandez@co.jefferson.wa.us.
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PDN staff writer Erik Hidle is at the scene. Watch for updates — and a complete report in the Friday/Saturday editions of the Peninsula Daily News.
