Sequim: Investigators now think July 4 house fire was started by fireworks

SEQUIM — A house fire that caused extensive damage Friday night was probably started by fireworks, investigators say.

The fire broke out about 11:30 p.m. at the rear of a home at 394 W. Hammond St.

It was initially thought to be “suspicious” in nature because of the extent of damage inside the home and the fact that a second, concurrent blaze occurred in one of the home’s bedrooms, said Allen Knobbs, assistant chief of Clallam County Fire District No. 3.

But Detective Kirk Chaney of the Sequim Police Department said Monday it appeared the second blaze was likely caused by firefighters who knocked down a rear wall in the home in an attempt to combat the flames.

In the process, they could have inadvertently knocked burning embers into the bedroom, he said.

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The rest of the story appears in Tuesday’s Peninsula Daily News.

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