PORT TOWNSEND — A chimney fire spreading to the attic space may have caused a rental cabin fire on Marrowstone Island on Saturday afternoon, firefighters said.
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue firefighters were dispatched to the blaze at 3:27 p.m. after the property manager and partnership owner of the cabins located on Beech Drive noticed smoke billowing out of the eaves under the roof.
The cabin was being rented by an out-of-town visitor on the island for a wedding scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
No one was in the cabin when the fire started.
The property manager had been using the wood-burning stove all morning, said Bill Beezley, fire department spokesman.
The approximately 900-square-foot cabin, built in the 1940s, suffered damage to one wall, the ceiling and attic space, but the structure was saved.
Investigating cause
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue investigator Kurt Steinbach was investigating the cause of the fire Saturday, Beezley said.
His initial focus was on the wood-burning stove and attached chimney.
Shortly after the property manager called 9-1-1, another wedding party cabin renter and a Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue volunteer firefighter who was in the area began fighting the fire with a garden hose.
They were soon joined by an engine company from nearby Naval Magazine Indian Island, which immediately began putting down the blaze.
Chief Ed Wilkerson of Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue arrived and assumed command of the incident. He was joined by an engine from his department, an engine company from East Jefferson Fire-Rescue and two water tenders.
