SAPPHO — A 98-year-old house that played a big role in West End history was destroyed by a fast-moving fire Saturday.
No one was injured in the blaze, which occurred at 272 Rixon Road.
“The house was built as part as the original Sappho homestead,” said Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Cortani, who responded to the scene at 9:25 a.m.
The Connecticut-style house was built in 1911 to serve as the headquarters for the Clallam Lumber Co., said Ted Spoelstra, who lived in the house from the early 1970s until he sold it to John Simpson about five years ago.
“It was a unique home, loved by every family that lived there,” Spoelstra said.
Crews from the Beaver Station of Clallam County Fire District No. 1 arrived shortly after 9 a.m., followed by another team from Forks with a water tanker.
The crews spent nearly eight hours battling the blaze, which is believed to have started in the basement near a furnace, Cortani said.
“It’s going to be a total loss,” he said.
Fast-spreading
The three-story, six bedroom home had no fire stops, so the fire spread quickly from the basement to the attic, said Phil Arbeiter, Fire District No. 1 chief.
“It was a pretty place, all right,” said Arbeiter, a former Forks mayor.
“The way it was done in the old style, I really couldn’t describe it.”
Simpson and his family were across the street when the fire started. The owner noticed smoke coming from the basement and reported the fire immediately, Cortani said.
When crews arrived, the house was fully engulfed.
The family made no mention of pets trapped inside, Arbeiter said.
‘100-year-old wood’
Crews never ran out of water but could not contain the blaze, he said.
“It’s 100-year-old wood,” Cortani said.
Originally, an adjacent building to the north housed a kitchen and laundry service for the timber company, Spoelstra said.
Arbeiter said they are no homes like it in the area.
“It was unique,” he said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladaily news.com
