Kala Point family homeless after fire destroys rental

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A family was left homeless after a house in the Kala Point community outside Port Townsend was destroyed by fire Sept. 15. There were no injuries.

East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR) was called to the 500 block of Pinecrest Drive at 4:49 p.m. after residents of the house discovered a fire in the shed behind their home and called 911, according to a press release from EJFR.

Firefighters arrived to find the fire had spread to the 4,100-square-foot house, located on a heavily wooded lot, according to EJFR public information officer Bill Beezley.

“In an effort to save the house, crews entered through the front to apply water, but were driven back after the house flashed over, blowing out several windows and making it too dangerous to stay inside,” Beezley stated.

Firefighters eventually extinguished the fire, but not before the house was left uninhabitable.

According to the tenants living in the home, they were walking out the front door to go out to eat dinner when they heard loud crackling behind the home. They walked around the garage to find the shed in flames.

The tenants, a family of five, were left homeless. The American Red Cross was contacted to provide temporary shelter and basic necessities for them.

They had renter’s insurance, and the house was insured by the homeowner, Beezley said.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.