PORT ANGELES — A man and his dog safely evacuated from a burning Gales Addition home after his dog alerted him to the blaze in the kitchen.
No one was injured in the fire.
The fire in the 2400 block of East Pioneer Road was extinguished in about 20 minutes after Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue was dispatched at 1:42 p.m. Tuesday, said Chief Jake Patterson, who added that all units had cleared the scene by 2:31 p.m.
“The on-duty crew from Station 21 just down the road was responding to an EMS call in an ambulance and were able to divert back to the fire station to pick up a fire engine with additional volunteer personnel,” Patterson said in a press release.
“The EMS call was handled by an Olympic Ambulance unit which was already en route to that incident.”
Upon arrival, firefighters saw smoke coming from windows on two sides of the house, Patterson said. Pioneer Street was blocked with fire apparatus and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office provided traffic control. Clallam County Public Utility District was also requested to evaluate the need to shut off power to the damaged structure.
The occupant said he was using an appliance in the kitchen and then left the room. He heard his dog barking and returned to find a fire on top of the stove.
“It appears a burner on the cook top was accidentally turned on and combustible items around cook top ignited,” Patterson said.
The fire spread into the cabinets around and above the stove with fire and heat damage throughout the kitchen and living areas. The house had smoke damage through most of the structure. The occupant was in contact with the American Red Cross to get assistance in finding a place to stay.
Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue responded with three fire engines, one ambulance and three command vehicles with a total of 15 firefighters.
