911 Briefs

Hansville home

sustains chimney

fire damage

HANSVILLE — A hole found within a chimney pipe is believed to be the cause of a fire that damaged a vacation home last weekend.

North Kitsap Fire & Rescue crews arrived on the scene of a Shore Woods home shortly before 2 a.m. Friday after the residents reported smoke and flames coming from outside their house.

Investigators with the Kitsap County Fire Marshal’s office believe the fire started within the home’s pot belly stove’s freestanding chimney pipe, where it exits through an exterior wall to connect to a concrete block chimney. Fire officials believe a hole in the pipe within the wall allowed the fire to spread into the wall and up into the cabin’s high-pitched roof.

The owners purchased the vacation home within the past year and said they did not know when the chimney was last professionally cleaned and inspected.

The family is insured and returned to their primary residence in Mukilteo Friday morning. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

Bystanders help

save Kingston

home from fire

KINGSTON — A house on Taree Boulevard was saved from extensive fire damage after passersby noticed flames coming from the home’s deck Thursday afternoon.

The witnesses, who were in the area visiting, found flames coming from a bucket on the home’s deck Nov. 25. They started to put out the fire with a garden hose and called 911. North Kitsap Fire & Rescue crews arrived on the scene and finished extinguishing the flames.

Fire officials said the residents, who were not home at the time of the fire, apparently cleaned out their fireplace or woodstove recently and put the ashes in a plastic 5-gallon bucket, near the house’s cedar shake siding.

The fire from the bucket had started to burn through the deck but was extinguished before it spread to the home. Damage was contained to the deck and was less than one-foot in diameter. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

Fire officials advise putting ashes in a metal can and wetting them down, putting a tight-fitting lid on top of the can and storing the container on a non-combustible surface, away from the home and outbuildings.

Windstorm blows tree onto home in Gamblewood

GAMBLEWOOD — Last Wednesday’s windstorm caused a tree to crash onto the roof of a manufactured home in Gamblewood, damaging the roof and shattering windows.

A mother and her two children, ages 5 and 11, were inside the home during the accident but were not injured.

Crews from North Kitsap Fire & Rescue arrived on the scene around 11 a.m. Nov. 24 to find a 12-foot hemlock tree resting on top of the small home, damaging the roof. Puget Sound Energy crews also arrived and turned off the home’s electric service. The house will have to be fixed before power can be restored, fire officials said.

Firefighters removed the tree and covered the damaged area of the house with tarps. The family does not have renter’s insurance.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.