PORT TOWNSEND — A cigarette and oxygen bottles combined to fuel a fire that destroyed a home early Wednesday morning, leaving its two residents homeless.
The fire, accompanied by explosions heard from miles away from the home at 1068 Cedar St., destroyed Unit B of a single- story duplex.
The neighboring Unit A incurred some smoke damage.
Residents evacuated
The two residents of Unit B — Jay and Melanie Reynolds — evacuated the apartment before firefighters arrived and were treated for smoke inhalation, while the resident of Unit A was not hurt, said East Jefferson Fire Rescue spokeswoman Keppie Keplinger.
The Reynolds had been treated and discharged from Jefferson Healthcare hospital in Port Townsend by Wednesday night, Keplinger said.
It was unknown if they were staying with friends or if they had received help from the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the American Red Cross.
“I know neighbors had inquired if they had a place to stay, and that the Red Cross had been called,” Keplinger said.
When the department’s firefighters arrived at the blaze at 6 a.m., Unit B was engulfed in flames, with fire visible from the roof and attic vents, Keplinger said.
Explosions
“There were several oxygen bottles in the residence that exploded,” said Assistant Chief Ted Krysinski, who was incident commander on the scene.
“Several people commented they heard the explosions from several miles away.
“While the oxygen bottles alone were not the cause of the fire, they likely contributed to it,” Krysinski said.
Another contributing factor was a lighted cigarette.
Jay Reynolds, who was on oxygen for a health condition, often would get up in the night, light a cigarette and step outside to smoke it, Keplinger said fire investigators determined.
Early Wednesday morning, he apparently lit a cigarette, stood up to go outside and passed out or had a seizure, she said.
“He fell to the floor and pulled a tube on the oxygen tank loose,” Keplinger said.
Fire investigators concluded the cigarette and oxygen bottles were the apparent cause of the fire.
No damage estimate was available Wednesday, Keplinger said.
Firefighters from Station 11 in Chimacum, Stations 15 and 16 in Port Townsend fought the blaze. Naval Magazine Indian Island Engine 91 provided backup for Station 11.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
