A morning fire destroyed a Freeland home Monday and left a family homeless.
The blaze was reported just after 9 a.m. on Goss Lake Road. The single story structure was largely intact, but damages inside and to the roof were so severe the home is uninhabitable, fire authorities report.
The only person home when the fire broke out, Charlotte Griffin, got out safely. Her two cats were missing, but are presumed OK.
Griffin lived in the house with her husband Kenneth Griffin, and their 15-year-old grandson. Kenneth was off island and their grandson was at school.
“I keep thinking I should call him at school but there is nothing he can do about it,” said Griffin, during the fire.
“My whole house is burned down,” she said.
Griffin was in her den when the home’s smoke alarms went off. Smoke was filling the house with the majority seeming to come from the bedroom, she said. She called 9-1-1 before evacuating.
Island County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Chris Garden, one of the first on the scene, arrived to find smoke coming from the eaves all around the house. No flames were initially visible, however the blaze spread and eventually burned through portions of the roof.
According to Paul Busch, assistant chief of South Whidbey Fire/EMS, much of the fire was concentrated in the attic on one side of the house. Subsequently, that’s where firefighters focused their attack. The blaze was arrested and the structure remains standing, but the home was a loss, Busch said.
“The whole house is completely destroyed from the smoke and the heat,” he said.
He estimated that the family will be able to recover a few items from inside, but that about 90 percent of their belongings are ruined. He calculated the value at around $50,000.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“We know where it started but not why,” Busch said.
Responding to the fire was two fire engines, four water tenders and about a dozen firefighters.
Goss Lake Road remained largely open throughout the event, though traffic was restricted to one lane. The road was closed entirely for a few minutes while a utility worker turned off power to the building.
Charlotte Griffin works in the deli at Payless, and the grocer is collecting donations to help the family. They can be dropped off at the deli.
The family is also in need of permanent housing. Northwest Washington Chapter of the American Red Cross assisted the Griffins, putting them up in a motel in Freeland Monday evening. They were expected to spend another night at the motel Tuesday, but are looking for something else. They can be reached by leaving a message at 360-331-7396, which was previously their home phone.
