By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue crews spotted a fire at about 4:20 this morning on the way back from another call and found themselves fighting another fire at the former Humane Society property at 2105 West Highway 101.
They were in the right place at the right time, says Assistant Chief Dan Huff.
“I think it was very fortunate that our crews happened to spot it coming back or there could have been significantly more fire load by the time we got called. The City of Port Angeles Fire Department came and assisted us there, so it was a combination of their engine and our engines and crews that extinguished this.”
Huff says no one was hurt, but the owner was present when they arrived. It’s a location that has been the scene of at least three fires just this year.
Huff says it was much more difficult to fight this fire than previous incidents because of some actions the owner took to seal off the building.
“Yeah, we had we had major difficulties there. One of the main entry doors that we have seen open in the past, when we’ve been there on other incidents, was actually… he used Liquid Nails to seal it shut. Another one was barred over, that made it very difficult to get through.”
Huff says they had to use some heavy-handed measures to safely fight the fire, leaving the building in poor shape, including a large hole in the roof.
(Photos courtesy of Jay Cline)