PORT ANGELES — A family escaped a house inferno this afternoon, but the fire devoured most of their two-story view home on East Park Avenue.
The flames blazed so high that the fire at was visible from East First Street, and the column of smoke drew onlookers from surrounding neighborhoods of the city’s east side.
The fire began in a back room at 1119 E. Park Ave. — near Franklin Elementary School — at about 2 p.m. while the family was home, said a neighbor who declined to identify himself.
By 2:45 p.m., there was little remaining of the upstairs portion of the home that has a view of the city and Port Angeles Harbor below.
Firefighters were still battling flames at 3:15 p.m., and were unavailable for comment.
Residents of the home remained in their yard with firefighters.
Greg Roberts of Sequim was driving through the area when he saw the flames from a street north of Park Avenue and arrived at the scene before firefighters, he said.
“There were two small explosions. Boom, boom!” he said.
