PORT ANGELES — Investigators are looking into a suspicious fire early Sunday morning west of Port Angeles.
About 4 am, Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue were dispatched to a reported structure fire in the 600 block of Lower Elwha Road. On arrival, crews found multiple structures burning. Officials say the fires were threatening to catch the surrounding woodlands on fire which would have impacted the neighborhood negatively. Mutual aid was brought in from the City of Port Angeles.
Clallam 2 Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Justin Grider says due to the amount of structures burning, the layout of the property, the inability to position units due to property restraints another request was also made for mutual aid from Clallam County Fire District 3 and Clallam County Fire District 4.
Grider says firefighters encountered five different storage buildings which were all fully involved in fire with explosions from compressed gas cylinders located within the structures. The fires were extinguished after an hour of fighting the fire. Crews mopped up the fires and rendered the scene safe for investigators to assess.
Clallam County Sheriff’s Office were on scene for security and to assist with the investigation. Fire Investigators were requested from PAPD, CCSO, LEKT, CCFD 3, and C2FR worked as a team to collect evidence and process the scene. The cause of the fires is suspicious and is under active investigation.
Anyone with information on this fire are encouraged to contact the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
Photo courtesy Jay Cline