PORT TOWNSEND — East Jefferson Fire-Rescue firefighters used a fire extinguisher to put out a small fire in a cabin at Fort Worden State Park.
The incident occurred about 4 p.m. Monday, according to a fire district press release.
The cabin was unoccupied at the time, Fire Chief Jim Walkowski said.
“The damage was very minor,” Walkowski said. “Depending on how much sheet rock they want to replace, I’d say it was $5,000 or less.”
Combustible material was too close to an older wall-mounted heater, Walkowski said.
“There was a scorched wall and some scorching on the ceiling, and the floor had a carpet melt on it,” he said.
The cabin could have remained occupied, but the heater needs to be inspected before it can be used again, Walkowski said.
The fire chief recommended keeping combustible material 3 feet away from heat sources.
“Sometimes we forget that we’ve pushed the couch closer to the heater,” he said.
Fire safety tips are available on the East Jefferson Fire-Rescue website at www.ejfr.org/customers/fire-safety.
