CLALLAM BAY — A Clallam Bay man is without a home after a grease fire in his kitchen destroyed the trailer he was living in.
A 10-by-70-foot single-wide trailer, with another 10-by-70-foot addition, on state Highway 112 in Clallam Bay was destroyed Monday night, said Trish Hutson, fire chief of Clallam County Fire District No. 5.
The man was not hurt but was evaluated by medics at the scene, Hutson said.
Hutson said she was not sure of the man’s name, but according to Clallam County Assessor’s Office, the property is owned by Michael Hanson. According to telephone listings, he also lives there.
He was cooking either French toast or fry bread at about 5:15 p.m., Hutson said.
“He left the room, forgetting that the stove was on,” she said. “While he was out of the room, the grease caught fire and began to spread.
“Luckily, he did get out of the house.”
By 6 p.m., the home was engulfed in flames.
The man, who is in his 60s, was the alone in the trailer. He is now staying with family members, Hutson said.
“The fire does not look suspicious at this time, but we are still investigating the cause,” Hutson said.
Clallam County Fire District No. 5 dispatched two fire trucks, an ambulance and 17 personnel to the fire, Hutson said.
“We were out there for about six hours before we got it out,” she said.
Nothing in the home was saved.
“He escaped with just the clothes on his back,” Hutson said.
She said that he was given contact information for the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the American Red Cross.
“For now, he is with family,” she said. “But I don’t know what he is planning on doing next.”
It was the second kitchen fire that destroyed a home on the North Olympic Peninsula in a week.
On Dec. 30, a home owned by Donna Lewis, 59, and Michael Golling, 49 — who have been together for about 20 years — was destroyed in Port Angeles after a fire started in the kitchen.
Their 24-by-60-foot manufactured home at 111 Alder Lane in Port Angeles was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
