EDITOR’S NOTE: This report corrects the suspected cause of the fire.
PORT TOWNSEND — A small yurt south of Port Townsend burned to the ground Thursday afternoon.
The approximately 400-square-foot round structure was destroyed after a man living there left several Seahawk sculptures near the wood stove to dry them and left the building, according to East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman Bill Beezley.
No one was injured.
The cause of the fire, which was reported at 3:21 p.m., remained under investigation Thursday afternoon.
The 47-year-old man, whom firefighters did not identify, shared the home with its owner, he told firefighters.
She works out of town and had not seen the damage as of Thursday afternoon, he told them.
Once he had put the birds near the stove, the man took his dog for a walk, Beezley said.
“He left for about 20 minutes and didn’t know about this [the fire] until he came back and found us here,” Beezley said.
The yurt was located in the 500 block of Hidden Trail Road about 4 miles south of Port Townsend on a dead-end road but less than a mile from a fire station, which contributed to a fast response, Beezley said.
The fire was controlled about 15 minutes after firefighters arrived, he said.
One witness reported hearing a boom but did not call 9-1-1 until five minutes later after spotting flames, Beezley said.
Beezley said he offered a referral to the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the American Red Cross, but it was declined.
The man said the owner of the yurt also owns a vacant house that is located nearby.
Personnel from the Port Townsend Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office assisted firefighters.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
