Captain Max Jones of the Orcas Island Fire Department says that the fire at Burke Thomas’ cabin on July 4 was “by far the hottest fire I’ve ever been to in 26 years of firefighting.”

Lieutenant Chad Kimple, who was Safety Officer at the scene, says that the fire was so hot that the water coming directly from a “cannon” mounted on top of the fire engine turned to steam before hitting the building.

Just as the Fire Department was preparing to be at the ready for the Fourth of July fireworks display in Eastsound, they began getting reports of the fire near Swan Road and Dolphin Bay Road. Because it was called in without an address, when Fire Department crews arrived on the scene, about 8 p.m., the two-story log cabin was fully involved, Chief Harris said.

“It had broken through the roof and we didn’t have a lot of choices to make. The biggest job was keeping flying embers from starting other fires, and Patrick [Shepler] did an excellent job of that.” Shepler, a union fire/medic, was incident commander at the fire.

Even with four tanker-tenders and three fire engines, there was not enough water to put the fire out, and the firefighters worked through the night to protect the surrounding property from catching fire and starting a wildfire.

Jones credits the property owners for maintaining a 30-foot perimeter around the cabin clear of debris and ground fuel, which kept the fire from spreading.

“The spread potential wasn’t an issue,” she said. “It was incredible how the fire just stopped at the clearance around the cabin’s perimeter. It made a huge difference for all the surrounding neighbors.”

Jones was manning a hose line directing water on the fire from Engine 21. Although the nozzles are capable of directing 250 gallons per minute at the fire, they were not operating at full strength, in order to conserve water. Instead, the firefighters concentrated on keeping the scene “dampened down enough to protect escaping ash from starting new fires.”

Jones said, “The flames were above the trees, and the fire created its own convection – the heat was so strong it created wind that picked up pieces of wood. We found ash a half-mile away.”

Firefighters were in protective “bunker gear,” but still “There was no way to get near this building,” said Jones. Kimple made sure that no one was overheated, and the Fire Department Auxiliary set up a rehabilitation area, with sandwiches and refreshment.

Harris said that his first thought on arriving at the scene was “I don’t want anybody getting hurt on something we can’t save, and this is something we can’t save.”

Because there was little maneuvering space around the flaming building, firefighters were subject to an intense amount of radiant heat,” Harris said. “It’s easier to get burned than you think. Also, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are the body’s inability to cope with the heat the body is generating are a threat.”

With the heat at the scene and the firefighters’ protective gear, the body core temperature goes dangerously high, and people need to be checked in a routine fashion to see how the body is maintaining, no matter how the individual feels, said Harris.

“We have to get close enough to put water on the fire,” said Jones, but they also had to move the fire engine farther from the scene, as plastic lights on the engine melted, hoses were scorched, and the windshield cracked. Then, the fire hoses were stretched to their capacity as they fought the flames from more than 30 feet away.

Jones said that the log cabin, built in the 1970s, was like a “giant log pile on fire. Thanks to the humidity, [the fire] didn’t take off.”

Harris said that, because the fire wasn’t contained under the roof, but had broken through, it was a free-burning fire. “When the roof is intact, it usually doesn’t get to that temperature, but having broken through, there was four to five times the amount of fuel for most structures of that size. It was like a huge bonfire.”

Plus, said Harris, because of the lot layout, it was not possible for the ground crews to get far away from the fire. “They took a beating from the radiant heat.”

Harris directed water supply from the closest pond, which was at the next lot up, before the tanker-tenders arrived. He coordinated the fire “attack” engines as they arrived on the scene.

When she first saw the fire, Jones was “just hoping that there was no one in there.” (Which there wasn’t). After that, the crew, which included 27 firefighters, were making sure that the fire didn’t spread.

Wildland crews surveyed the area and cleared away any ash and put out some grassfires.

A tanker-tender equipped with 2,000 gallons of water and a brush truck remained at the scene after the fire burnt out, at about 9 p.m. Jones, along with firefighters Jeff Jones and Carl Coburn, stayed at the scene until 6:30 a.m. At that time the County Fire Marshals took over.

Jones was appreciative of the concerned neighbors who helped by offering food and water and opening up their homes, and by staying behind the fire lines.