PORT ANGELES — Two Port Angeles residents were happy to have escaped unhurt and were being cared for by family members a day after their home burned to the ground.
Homeowners Samuel and Annette Tikka were staying with their daughter, whom they declined to name, in a nearby home Tuesday, recovering from the Monday afternoon loss of their longtime family home at 1119 E. Park Ave.
They were the only two people in the home when it caught fire a little after 3 p.m., and they left quickly.
“We could hear the fire,” Annette said.
Flames from the blaze could be seen 15 blocks away.
The Tikkas watched their home burn from the driveway Monday, accompanied by family members who arrived to offer their support.
The couple said they had no animals.
A large portion of the house was burned to bare studs. Port Angeles firefighters saved a section of the house.
“We were able to save some pictures,” Annette said.
The Tikkas had insurance on their home and are awaiting the results of the fire department investigation.
Fire Capt. Keith Bogues said the investigation is focusing on the area where a classic Volkswagen was being restored.
“The fire started in a workshop area where there were flammable liquids. There was a gas tank involved,” Bogues said, adding that he didn’t know when the investigation would be finished.
Access to the home was an issue, with a very tight fit on a long driveway for the one firetruck that was able to get close to the fire, he said.
Three additional firetrucks, including a ladder truck, had to be staged on East Park Avenue.
Bogues said he was uncertain as to whether the home would be partially salvageable, or if it would be completely written off.
“That will be determined by their insurance company,” he said.
The 3,324-square-foot two-story home was built in 1968 and was assessed in 2013 at $192,727, according to the Clallam County Auditor’s Office.
The property includes a second home, a small cottage that is rented out, which was not damaged in the fire.
Twenty-two firefighters and command personnel from the Port Angeles Fire Department and from Clallam County Fire District No. 2 helped fight the fire.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.