Electrical fire burns during blood drive at Sequim Elks Lodge

Firefighters with Clallam County Fire District 3 stopped a fire from spreading underneath the Sequim Elks Lodge No. 2642 on President’s Day.

Assistant Chief Dan Orr said fire crews dispatched at 9:21 a.m. Feb. 19, to the lodge at 143 Port Williams Road to find smoke in an office space.

Crews evacuated a blood drive sponsored by the Elks from the building and turned off the power, Orr said.

Firefighters removed siding underneath the building’s sign to attack the fire that spread underneath.

Orr said the fire likely started from an electrical outlet that shorted out and spread to nearby beauty bark in a planter and migrated behind the building’s siding and into the lodge’s crawl space.

Once discovered, Orr said the fire was quickly extinguished and smoke was blown out.

“It appeared to have been burning for a bit of time. It just took awhile to present itself,” he said.

Fire officials estimate the damage at $8,000-$10,000 for the 10-feet-by-10-feet area that burned under the building.

“It was a good thing a lot of people were there who smelled the smoke,” he said.

“Being on a different holiday with no one there, (the fire) could have gone for quite some time,” Orr said.

No injuries were reported from the fire, Orr said, and Elk members plan to hire an electrician to help isolate the faulty outlet.