Fox Island House Fire Prompts Warning For Anyone With A Fire Pit

FOX ISLAND, WA — A destructive fire on Fox Island early Wednesday prompted Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One to remind residents to stay mindful of open flames as the summer heats up and dry weather persists throughout the region.

According to GHF spokesman Eric Waters, the residents of the Fox Island home enjoyed a fire in their store-bought, manufactured fire pit Tuesday night before retiring to bed sometime between 11:30 p.m. and midnight. When they left the fire, they reportedly believed it was out.

However, the couple was awoke by smoke alarms just before 1:30 a.m. only to find their back deck fully engulfed by fire.

Four GHF engines responded to the single alarm fire and quickly doused the blaze, but not before the catastrophe resulted in roughly $60,000 in damages to the home, Waters told Patch.

"Fortunately, there were no injuries associated with this fire," Waters wrote on the agency's Facebook page.

While there was no definitive evidence the fire was caused solely by the smoldering fire pit, Waters said the hottest part of the fire occurred near where the fire pit had been located.

"There are a number of possibilities (for the official cause)," Waters said.

Regardless, Waters continued, the incident is a reminder to always ensure fire pits and chimeras are fully extinguished before leaving them unattended, and to make sure all other combustibles are kept a safe distance away from the open flames.

"Be careful when using a heating device; and follow the manufacturers' guidelines to a T," he said. "We're extremely dry right now, and people need to be careful with open flames. All it takes is one spark or ember to drift away."

Current weather conditions throughout the region, and particularly in Eastern Washington, are leading weather experts to predict the issuance of Red Flag warnings throughout the summer, which could include heat as well as high winds, Waters said.