BREMERTON, Wash. — Firefighters battled a roaring fire near Bremerton that engulfed three homes on June 6, according to Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue.
First responders were called to the scene near Erlands Beach Loop Northwest just before noon on Thursday. The call was quickly upgraded to a three-alarm fire around 12:50 p.m.
"I'm glad we had a damp year because this could have easily spread to the vegetation that surrounds the place," said Capt. Steven Davison of Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue.
Heavy smoke and flames could be seen from one of the homes, which was completely destroyed in the fire. Flames spread to other homes due to the close proximity of the houses, said public information officer Ileana LiMarzi, and the roof of a second home has collapsed.
"I just feel a lot of empathy for the people who have this. It's their home, it's not a starter home if it's your home, it's lifetime of working to have a lifetime of retirement," said Davison. "These people just lost that part of what they've been working so hard for."
Everyone in the homes were able to evacuate and there are no reported injuries, according to LiMarzi. All pets made it out safely, too.
The county fire marshal will determine the cause of the fire.
3-alarm structure fire on Erlands Point
Officials asked people to avoid the area due to a possible natural gas leak and air pollution issues due to the smoke.
Off-duty fire crews were called in to respond to other calls in the Kitsap County area and several agencies provided mutual aid to Central Kitsap fire, including Bremerton, Poulsbo and South Kitsap fire departments, along with Navy Region Northwest Fire.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.
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