March 4, 2002 * 02-15-01

(Near KINGSTON, Kitsap County) -- An apparent electrical problem sparked a blaze yesterday evening that singed a 300 square-foot storage building. Although some of the building's contents were destroyed by the flames, much of the jam-packed storage was saved by firefighters' quick response from North Kitsap Fire & Rescue's newest fire station -- just down the street.

North Kitsap Fire & Rescue crews were called to the Tulin Road address shortly before 5:00pm when the building's owners, working outside in their yard, noticed smoke coming from the wooden shed. While his wife called 911, the homeowner attempted to fight the flames with a garden hose. Intense smoke caused him to abandon his efforts. Just minutes after dispatch, firefighters from the district's South Kingston Road station -- open and staffed since December 7th -- arrived at the scene. Together with additional personnel from the district's Kingston headquarters facility, crews worked to get at the heart of the fire on the shed's second story and buried within stacks of stored household goods.

The Kitsap County Fire Marshal's Office investigated the cause of the blaze which apparently originated in a light fixture on the shed's second floor. Fire damaged the entire upper floor structure, destroying most of the contents stored there -- but firefighters were able to save the family's handcrafted baby crib. Smoke and water damage affected the lower story; most of the contents housed on the first floor were salvagable.