PORT ANGELES — Fire damaged a landmark paint store Monday evening and blocked U.S. Highway 101 vehicle access to downtown for nearly an hour.
No one was injured, and the cause of the smoky fire in the building housing Parker Paint, 201 E. Front St. — at the corner of Front and Lincoln streets — is under investigation.
Flames were contained to the store’s paint mixing room, located in the lower northwest corner of the building, said Fire Marshal Ken Dubuc.
But the entire two-story store, which was closed, was damaged by smoke, he said.
Dubuc said paint was involved in the fire, but the smoke was not considered toxic.
Police Cpl. Kevin Miller, who responded to a burglar alarm at the store, reported the fire between 5:35 p.m. and 5:40 p.m.
Miller said it was clear that there was a fire inside before he got out of his patrol car.
“As soon as I pulled up, I could see the windows were all black and smoke coming out from under the front door,” he said.
Smoke was billowing from the building when a fire engine arrived at 5:44 p.m.
Dubuc said the duty crew was on an aid call elsewhere at the time Miller reported the fire, slowing the response to the fire.
A couple dozen people gathered to watch the scene as crews from Port Angeles Fire Department and Clallam County Fire District No. 2 fought the fire with a hose from Lincoln Street.
No flames could be seen from outside the building.
Police closed Front Street to traffic at the intersection with Peabody street until about 6:30 p.m.
Northbound Lincoln Street traffic was diverted onto First Street a block south of the fire.
Miller said the restaurant Kokopelli Grill, which shares a wall with the paint store, was also closed at the time.
Dubuc said the fire did not damage the restaurant’s wall.
Miller said it was unclear why the burglar alarm went off, but noted that it has happened before with other fires.
There was no sign of forced entry, Miller said.
Firefighters entered the building from Lincoln Street after hitting the source of the fire with hoses through a window.
They then used fans to ventilate the building.
The site at Front and Lincoln streets originally was home to Johnson & Bork Wallpaper and Paint in 1892 in a wooden building, said Deputy Mayor Don Perry, who leads a downtown historical tour and is an authority on the history of the commercial structures.
The current building replaced the original Johnson & Bork structure in 1922, Perry said.
The business was sold to Parker Paint about 12 years ago.
“There has always been a paint store in that location,” Perry said.
“It is the longest running business that has been the same type of business in the same location in Port Angeles.”
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Reporter Paige Dickerson contributed to this report.
Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
