Orcas Fire and Rescue responded to a structure fire in Deer Harbor Sunday night at 10:52.

Within minutes Deer Harbor Station Lt. Paul Turner was on scene with a report of smoke in the basement and first floor. However, he was alone in the Engine and could not enter the building. He reported resident was safely evacuated however 2 pets were unaccounted for. Engines and tankers from 22 from Westsound and Eastsound responded however, due to ice-covered roads, all apparatus was required to proceed slowly on chained tires. Engines from Doe bay and Rosario moved to the Eastsound Fire Station to cover any additional fire calls.

Firefighters found heavy smoke and fire in the crawl spaces near and around the utility room. Firefighters worked for 4.5 hours locating and extinguishing fire beneath the floors, which spread throughout the structure.

The steep driveway limited access so water was provided from several hundred feet away. Wind gusts in excess of 55 mph coupled with the 20-degree air quickly froze several supply hoses creating treacherous footing for all department members.

One missing cat was located hiding in a bedroom and quickly reunited with its owner. Due to fire engines blocking the driveway, the home-owner and pets were walked a quarter of a mile to a nearby neighbor who took them in out of the cold.

The fire was declared under control at approximately 3:30 am. Overhaul continued for another 90 minutes. Firefighters returned to stations at around 5 am to thaw out both apparatus and frozen wet gear. That process was still underway 15 hours after the initial tone-out.

“The probable cause was electrical near utility room” said San Juan County Fire Marshal Robert Low. “It was a difficult fire to find and put out.” In all, 3 fire engines, 2 water tankers, the Rescue unit and Medic 1 responded with 17 department personnel.