JOYCE — A fire destroyed a barn in Joyce, sending up a big plume over the valley.
Clallam County Fire District 4 firefighters were called out at 12:25 p.m. Saturday to the barn fire a little over a mile past the Freshwater Bay road.
“It was fully engulfed by the time we rolled on the call,” Fire Chief Greg Waters said on Monday.
“We could see it from high up on Dodger Lane. The homeowner was alerted by a passing driver on Highway 112 who saw it and knocked on their door. They didn’t realize it.”
A travel trailer parked 10 feet away was ready to catch fire and the house was getting hot, starting to steam, and they were afraid it was going to start, Waters said.
“We got there and started putting water on the house to cool it down, then we turned our attention to the barn,” he said. “According to county records, it was 20 feet by 50 feet and built in 1953.”
Waters said the homeowner drove his tractor out and then removed several propane bottles.
“The homeowner tried to attach his pickup to the trailer, but it was too hot,” he said.
“It took us 10 minutes to get it out. Then we were there a considerable time for hotspots and flareups.”
“The homeowner said he believed the cause was an unattended woodstove,” Waters continued.
“The trailer was gone. The house suffered minor heat damage, but we saved it.
It was a good day. It was the only thing we were going to be able to save at that point. Nobody was hurt.”
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at brian.gawley@soundpublishing.com.
