A fire destroyed a home in Clinton early Friday morning.
Owners Patrick and Kathleen Naughton escaped without injury. They were awakened about 3:30 a.m. when a glass door leading from their carport into a hallway exploded from fire burning in the carport. Flames leapt from the carport to the home’s roof and attic.
“By the time we were on the scene, the house was fully involved,” said Fire District 3 Chief Don Smith.
Patrick Naughton received minor burns when he tried to extinguish the fire.
“They were very fortunate to escape without any serious injuries,” Smith said.
The call to 911 came from a neighbor’s house because Naughton’s telephone line was out due to the fire.
Smith said he believed the fire started in the carport. A construction crew had been working there the previous day, he said. Officially, however, the cause of the blaze is inconclusive, but Smith said there is evidence that it was electrical in nature.
Smith said the couple had noticed an odd odor earlier in the evening.
“They didn’t think much about it, just that someone was burning debris or barbecueing nearby.”
Once they were out of the home, Patrick Naughton was able to move a vehicle out of harm’s way while his wife, who is pregnant, opened a door for the couple’s dogs and cats to escape.
“There is no sign of their cats yet, but we didn’t see any signs that they were still in the house,” Smith said. “They probably got out and are hiding in a tree.”
The Naughton home was located just up the hill from the reopened section of Glendale Road. Smith said the fire vindicates Island County’s decision to keep the road open.
“This fire certainly amplifies the wisdom of keeping Glendale Road open,” he said. “The route provides a shorter distance for emergency vehicles to travel from the Maxwelton station and access homes and people in that area.”
Volunteers from the Clinton and Maxwelton stations responded to the blaze, and a tender was sent from Bayview.
“Once we arrived on the scene we knocked the fire down in short order,” said Smith.
