PORT TOWNSEND — No one was injured in a house fire in Port Townsend that firefighters extinguished this afternoon.
Homeowners were both absent when the fire started at the structure in the 700 block of 27th Street.
Alerted at 1:54 p.m., East Jefferson Fire Rescue fire fighters found flames on the deck, with fire beginning to extend into the living room, said Patricia Willestoft, acting spokeswoman for the department.
The fire was extinguished in 18 minutes.
The source of the blaze is tentatively thought to be an unattended makeshift ashtray on the deck, Willestoft said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The woman living in the house told firefighters she had gone to a neighbor’s when she noticed dark brown smoke coming from her residence.
She rushed home and called 9-1-1.
Several department engines responded to the fire. They were assisted by fire fighters with Naval Magazine Indian Island and Quilcene Fire Rescue.
District 2 and Discovery Bay fire departments provided station coverage while others were fighting the fire.