Firefighters from all three Central Harbor departments responded to a structure fire in Aberdeen on Monday evening that began in the kitchen and gutted a house.
No one was injured in the fire, said Chief Dave Golding of the Aberdeen Fire Department.
“At 8:12 last night we got dispatched for a house on fire. Just right down the street,” Golding said, the fire occurring only a few blocks from Aberdeen’s main station. “As units arrived they found the house pretty well involved.”
Aberdeen police were first on scene, Golding said, and aided residents in evacuating.
“The occupants stated they noted a fire in the kitchen and then evacuated the house,” Golding said. “All three occupants and the dog escaped.”
When firefighters arrived, the fire was too intense to make an interior attack; firefighters had to fight on the defensive until they’d knocked it down enough to make inroads.
“When they left the house, they left the front door open, which allowed the fire to breathe in fresh air and rapidly grow,” Golding said. “We recommend that if you do evacuate your house, that you shut your doors along your path of egress. That helps slow the fire by not allowing it to suck in fresh air.”
While the fire itself wasn’t too complicated, multiple medical calls at the same time made for a busy evening, Golding said. Fire District 2 was contacted for assistance, but was also fielding multiple aid calls, Golding said.
“During this time Aberdeen and Hoquiam had a couple aid calls going on,” Golding said. “We had to pull resources from the fire to handle those.”
Firefighters were able to get inside eventually and quell the fire, Golding said, preventing the spread apart from heat damage to a neighboring residence, but the house is likely totalled, Golding said. “The cause is still under investigation,” Golding said. “The home and the majority of its contents are considered a total loss.”
The residents were taken in by family members, Golding said. Foul play is not suspected as a cause of the fire. The investigation is ongoing.
Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or michael.lockett@thedailyworld.com.
Firefighters from three departments battle a structure fire in Aberdeen on Monday night. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)
Firefighters battle a structure fire that destroyed a house in Aberdeen on Monday night. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)
