PORT ANGELES — The mother of Lower Elwha Klallam Chairwoman Frances Charles and three other relatives, including two young children, were staying with friends and family Saturday after a house fire Friday.
The four escaped the 2 p.m. fire, which was caused by an overturned candle, without harm.
The flames damaged the second floor of the home belonging to Vera Charles, the tribal chairwoman’s mother, before firefighters extinguished it in about 30 minutes.
Chris Charles — Vera Charles’ grandson and Frances Charles’ cousin — and his two children also were living in the home on tribal land west of Port Angeles.
They are staying with friends and family until the damage can be repaired, said Frances Charles.
“We’re really glad things turned out the way they did,” she said. “Nobody was hurt.”
But what was lost was most of what belonged to the 3-year-old boy and 1-year-old girl, including their clothes.
“The kids’ stuff is pretty much gone,” said Frances Charles.
Family and friends are replacing the clothes and other items, she said Saturday, and more donations are currently not being sought.
Deputy Chief Mike Oakes of Clallam County Fire District 2 said that the two-story home at 121 Ns Klallam Drive caught fire when one of the children knocked over a candle on the second floor.
The fire was contained to the top story, but it could have been disastrous if it spread to the first floor and ignited Vera Charles’ oxygen tanks.
The first floor had water damage, Francis Charles said.
The Port Angeles Fire Department and Lower Elwha Klallam police also responded to the fire call.
Frances Charles thanked the fire fighters for extinguishing the blaze, especially before it ignited the oxygen tanks, and a neighbor, Travis Johnson, who made sure her mother got out safely.
“We’re just grateful that everybody got out,” she said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
