MARROWSTONE ISLAND — A wood-fired sauna was destroyed early Tuesday morning after the fire that heated its water was improperly extinguished, according to East Jefferson Fire-Rescue.
The sauna was located on a small beach on Mystery Bay with no other structures in close proximity.
The owner of the property told firefighters that she, her husband and next-door neighbor had used the sauna Monday evening, after which they had doused the fire with several buckets of water.
Believing that the fire was out, they returned to their homes, located on the short bluff above the beach on Flagler Road.
Around 3 a.m., the neighbor noticed the fire, called 9-1-1 and alerted the property owners that the fire was spreading through the beach grass toward the upland residences.
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue arrived and fought the fire with hand tools and progressive hose line, fully extinguishing it at 4:43 a.m.
Assistance was provided by Naval Region Northwest Indian Island, Port Ludlow Fire Rescue, Discovery Bay Fire Rescue, Quilcene Fire Rescue and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, bringing the number of emergency personnel on the scene to 26.
