Spontaneous combustion blamed for Clinton fire
Published 1:30 am Friday, August 7, 2026
A fire destroyed a two-story structure in Clinton this week, although no injuries occurred.
A large structure on Glendale Road caught fire around 4 p.m. Wednesday after linseed oil-covered rags “spontaneously combusted” in a bucket, according to South Whidbey Fire/EMS Chief Nick Walsh. A tent containing the bucket ignited before the flames spread to the structure about 12 feet away.
“That’s what the original caller said — the tent was on fire, and then caught the building,” Walsh said.
Walsh, among those who initially responded to the fire, said the structure was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about 30 minutes, though overhaul continued for hours as crews extinguished remaining hotspots. Smoke continued to rise from the structure into the evening on an already hazy day because of wildfire smoke drifting west from Eastern Washington.
Those residing on the property evacuated, gathering on Glendale Road.
The structure, which housed vehicles and welding equipment, was destroyed. Walsh said propane tanks and compressed gas cylinders on the property did not explode, though some fireworks ignited.
Additionally, a small brush fire started about 100 feet down the road as a result of the fire. Firefighters from the Department of Natural Resources worked to extinguish it.
Downed power lines on the property and across Glendale Road created an additional hazard. Walsh said it took Puget Sound Energy more than 90 minutes to arrive and disconnect the power.
“So, for most of that time, we did have that hazard,” he said.
Firefighters from Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue also responded to the blaze.
The fire was one of several significant incidents on Whidbey Island this summer. Recently, a North Whidbey fire displaced a family, another killed a 75-year-old woman and firefighters across the island responded to numerous fireworks-related incidents over the Fourth of July weekend.
Most notably, more than 700 pounds of fireworks were involved in a fire and subsequent explosion which leveled a home and damaged two others in June in Greenbank.
