Fire consumed a Blyn home late Monday morning that fire officials say was tough to fight due to terrain.
Assistant Fire Chief Tony Hudson with Clallam County Fire District 3 said no one was home at the residence on 112 Howard Heights Road when firefighters received a call for a smoke investigation at 11:16 a.m. on Dec. 3 and a second call confirming a structure fire at 11:30 a.m.
The home sits atop a steep hill off Chicken Coop Road east of Sequim and overlooks Sequim Bay.
Firefighter discovered the approximate 3,100-square-foot home fully involved when they arrived on scene.
Hudson said when the first engine arrived, crews had to drag hoses and other equipment up the steep incline.
Because of the fire’s intensity and lack of water supply, he said firefighters remained in a defensive position for quite some time.
A water tender was able to make it up the hill next to the house around 12:30 p.m. while firefighters continued to fight the fire lower down the hill.
There wasn’t any exposure to the surrounding vegetation, Hudson said, but it could have been a different fire in drier, warmer months.
The cause remains unknown as of Tuesday, Dec. 4, Hudson said, due to the condition of the building and heat of the fire. He estimates it might take a few days or longer before they have a better idea of the fire.
More details on the house and its contents are unknown at this time.
Real estate website Zillow estimates the house is worth about $770,000 and notes it sold for $615,000 in 2016.
Hudson said the scene was cleared around 3:30 p.m. The last unit cleared the scene around 9 p.m. Monday.
Shop fire contained
Earlier in the day, fire officials reported to a fire in a detached shop at 7494 Old Olympic Highway.
The homeowner reported smoke coming from the building around 9 a.m. Monday morning.
Hudson said they immediately launched an offensive, interior attack to quickly extinguish a fiberglass boat that was on fire inside the shop.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Hudson said, and the boat was destroyed from the fire and the shop sustained smoke damage.
Firefighter/EMT Kjel Skov sprays down flames with direction from Assistant Fire Chief Tony Hudson on Dec. 3 as a fire burns a Blyn Home. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
A fire on Monday morning burns on Howard Heights Road east of Sequim. Clallam County Fire District 3 officials report steep conditions made it difficult to get water to the home.
Firefighter/Paramedic Erik Payne and Firefighter/EMT John McKenzie battle flames on a Blyn home’s deck on Monday. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
Assistant Fire Chief Tony Hudson reports in about the fire as he awaits a water tender to arrive to fight the Blyn fire from atop a steep hill. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
Clallam County firefighters attempt to combat flames on a Blyn house fire on Dec. 3. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
Firefighter/EMT Kjel Skov sprays the inside of a deck spanning from a house fire that erupted on Monday morning in Blyn. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
