PORT ANGELES — A garage was totally destroyed by fire at 139 W. Seventh St. on Sunday morning.
Port Angeles firefighters were dispatched at 6:47 a.m. to the 400-square-foot, wood-framed garage, which they found engulfed with flames and its roof collapsed, according to a press release.
Oak Street was shut between Sixth and Seventh streets for about 90 minutes. Nearby residences and an apartment building were at risk as exposures due to radiant heat, according to the report by Capt. Andrew Cooper of the Port Angeles Fire Department.
“Multiple live overhead power lines were present, which also posed an additional hazard to responders and complicated safe firefighting efforts,” he said in the release.
The fire was knocked down within 10 minutes of units arriving and extinguished completely within 30 minutes, “the delay in complete extinguishment being caused by the significant risk being caused by damaged live overhead wires which could have dropped at any time,” Cooper said.
“Overhaul activities ensured that all hidden hotspots were extinguished completely.”
No one was hurt.
The fire’s cause is under investigation by the county fire marshal’s office.
The garage and its contents were destroyed in the blaze. A valuation of the property and content losses will be determined by a claims adjustor, building official or the fire marshal, Cooper said.
Cooper added that modern “lightweight,” construction methods put firefighters at risk.
“Despite units arriving on scene less than five minutes after being dispatched, the roof had completely collapsed and the integrity of the building had been lost, limiting firefighters’ tactical options,” he said.
“These same construction methods are utilized in almost all modern-day home construction, highlighting the importance of having working smoke detectors throughout the home,” he added.
The Port Angeles Fire Department responded to the blaze with a chief officer and a total of eight firefighters on two fire engines and one ALS Medic unit.
Olympic Ambulance provided medical support, Port Angeles police officers provided traffic control and a Port Angeles City Lights crew mitigated electrical hazards posed on scene by the fire, according to the release.
