— from Chief Jon Shannon, Shaw Island Fire Department —
Shaw Island smoke as seen from Orcas at 7:30 a.m. Photo: Nancy Weatherspoon
The building was located at 360 Indian Cove Road. The fire started near the fireplace sometime between 0200 and 0300 New Year’s Eve. First alarm was at 0330. We arrived on the scene at 0342 with Shaw Fire Engines 51 & 52 and Tanker 55. The house was filled with smoke.
Seven family members of the owner were in the house and were awakened by smoke alarms. The owners were away on vacation. No one was hurt.
We called for mutual aid at 0615 and teams from Orcas and Lopez arrived via ferry with apparatus about 0715. They were instrumental in saving the adjacent residential homes to east and the west. 7 Firefighters and 2 apparatus from Lopez, 4 firefighters and 2 apparatus from Orcas and 4 firefighters from San Juan via the county Fire Boat “Sentinel”. Shaw had 11 firefighters respond and 5 apparatus.
The home at 360 Indian Cove Road is a total loss. Shaw fire crews remained on the property throughout the night on the 1st due to a flaring underground propane tank that was burning near the east property line. The tank fire went out at 5 PM on the 2nd and we returned to the station at 630PM on January 2nd.
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