PORT ANGELES — Red Cross was contacted to provide two occupants of a mobile home emergency shelter after it burned on Saturday.
The single-wide mobile home, at 2117 E. Fifth Ave. in Gales Addition, was reported ablaze at 9:19 a.m., said Chief Jake Patterson of Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue, in a press release.
Crews cleared the scene at approximately 11:30 a.m., he said.
The two people had left the house safely before the first firefighters arrived, he said. Two cats found inside were dead.
Preliminary investigation found that the fire apparently started around a fireplace, which was the only heat source, Patterson said.
“There were combustible materials around the fireplace which likely ignited which then spread to other materials inside the residence,” he said in the release. “There were no active smoke detectors reported.
“With the information obtained at this time, the fire appears accidental in nature,” the chief said.
The occupants told firefighters there was no power to the structure and when they came out of a rear bedroom, they noticed fire down the hallway from the front of the house.
The on-duty crew of two firefighters responded immediately from Fire Station 21 in Gales Addition with additional career and volunteer personnel responding from home or work, Patterson said.
Seeing a column of smoke from the area, they requested mutual aid from the Port Angeles Fire Department.
Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue responded with two fire engines, one water tender and two command vehicles with a total of 14 personnel. The Port Angeles Fire Department responded with one fire engine and one command vehicle with a total of three personnel. Olympic Ambulance responded with one ambulance and two personnel to provide standby and evaluation of firefighters. Clallam County Public Utility District and Clallam County Sheriff’s Office deputies also responded to the scene.
