PORT LUDLOW — Investigators on Saturday were sifting through the wreckage of a house in the 300 block of North Bay Way that was destroyed in a Friday afternoon fire, leaving the homeowner homeless.
All of the home’s occupants — the woman, her grandson and a pet dog — escaped safely, said Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman.
Beezley did not know the names of the occupants of the house, which was built in 1963.
Investigators had not determined the cause of the fire on Saturday, Beezley said.
The homeowner said that she and her teenage grandson, who was visiting her, were watching television in the living room when they heard the sounds of popping coming from the bedroom and found a wall lamp and nearby curtains in flames.
She called 9-1-1 at 12:57 p.m.
Her grandson tried to use a garden hose on the fire, but found it wasn’t long enough to reach the bedroom.
Fire spreads rapidly
The fire then rapidly spread, said Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue Chief Brad Martin.
“The house had a lot of material in it,” he said. “This not only accelerated the fire, but made it more difficult to extinguish.”
Beezley said he had given the homeowner contact information for the American Red Cross Olympic Peninsula chapter but didn’t know if she reached Red Cross volunteers or if she stayed with nearby family members.
Because of the remote location of the house, firefighters relied on tenders for water supply, with water tenders from four fire districts supplying five fire engines, Beezley said.
Firefighters from several fire districts battled the blaze for at least three hours before it was extinguished at about 4:20 that afternoon, Beezley said.
Beezley said at least one firefighter watched the remains of the house all night until investigators arrived Saturday morning. No flare-ups were seen.
Companies from Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue, and the Quilcene, Brinnon and Discovery Bay departments were joined by an engine company from Naval Magazine Indian Island in fighting the fire.
