One person was killed and another injured in a house fire early Tuesday morning in the Dugualla Bay Heights neighborhood on North Whidbey.

The one-story house on East Bay Front Lane was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived around 2 a.m., said Marv Koorn, chief of North Whidbey Fire and Rescue. Tuesday morning only a charred skeleton of the home remained. Firefighters picked their way through the smoldering rubble as they waited for the coroner to arrive.

Officials are waiting to release the name of the victim until the coroner confirms an identity.

Firefighters from North Whidbey were on the scene within minutes of the 1:50 a.m. emergency call but the house was too far gone to save, Koorn said. Another person staying at the house sustained minor burns. He was taken to Whidbey General Hospital and released.

Firefighters quickly turned their attention to the homes on either side. Neighbors were sleeping in one of the next door homes, the other was empty. The quick actions of Island County Sheriff deputies helped neighbors get out safely, Koorn said. The deputies were first on the scene, and they pounded on the neighbor’s door until the homeowners woke up and emerged safely.

It took about half an hour to get the fire under control, although firefighters were still putting out a few hot spots this orning, Koorn said. Both neighboring homes sustained damage to their exterior walls and the fire spread into the attic of one of the homes.

Fred and Cheryl Stillwell live across the street. Fred Stilwell said the flames were twice as high as the single-story home. He and his wife worried about the home being a fire danger after seeing stacks of newspapers and space heaters inside the house.

He praised the fire department for quashing the fire before it caused any more damage to the homes next door.

“The fire department got here quickly,” he said. “They were instrumental in saving that house.”

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the blaze. Firefighters from Naval Air Station Whidbey and the Mount Erie Fire Department also helped respond to the fire.