A fire at a commercial storage facility in Freeland this weekend caused an estimated $85,000 in damages.
The blaze was reported just after 9 a.m. Saturday at A-OK storage on Woodard Road, just off Highway 525. Police and South Whidbey Fire/EMS first responders arrived to find the end of one of the facility’s storage wings spewing smoke and flames beginning to erupt from the northwest corner.
Firefighters wasted no time going to work, tearing open roller doors and hitting the flames with water. The whole thing was over in less than an hour, according to Chief Rusty Palmer.
“We had it knocked down in nine minutes, controlled at 16 minutes and out in 40 minutes,” Palmer said.
He confirmed that no one was hurt.
Gary Reys, the facility manager, said he was grateful no one was injured, but noted the damages were limited and that the event wasn’t as big as it seemed. The fire didn’t spread far, he said, affecting only a few of the approximately 400 units on site.
“It wasn’t as spectacular as all the fire trucks made it seem,” Reys said.
He added, however, that he was glad they were there to make sure it didn’t become spectacular.
Exactly how the blaze started is unclear, but the fire is believed to have begun in the end units that housed the facility’s heating furnace; the complex uses radiant floor heating throughout.
“The heaviest fire was directly over the furnace, so that’s where we anticipate it started,” he said.
Palmer said flames spread to two adjacent units, damaging renter belongings, and another two units and personal property within sustained smoke damage. Conservative damage estimates calculate the price tag at $50,000 for personal property and $35,000 for the building.
According to Reys, A-OK is open for business. A replacement heating system is being ordered but he couldn’t say when it will be installed and operational.
According to Palmer, three fire engines, one rehab unit, one water tender and one rescue unit were involved in the district’s response — a total of 16 fire district personnel.
