Facing challenging conditions, firefighters from South Whidbey and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island spent several hours Wednesday afternoon battling a structure fire.

“Crews did a great job containing and putting out the fire,” said South Whidbey Fire/EMS Deputy Chief Wendy Moffatt, as she finally left the scene in late afternoon.

“We were able to save part of the structure, a shop at the rear of the residence, and there were no injuries,” she added.

Firefighters were hampered by the location and a lack of water. Three tanker trucks unloaded in an above-ground swimming pool, and one tanker made a second trip.

The fire occurred in a heavily-wooded area with very limited accessibility. The structure is located one-half mile up a hill at the end of Nancye Lane, a private dirt road off Brooks Hill Road. Firefighters had to trek equipment into the actual site of the blaze.

“There wasn’t much flame, but the fire was very smoky,” Moffatt said. “The shop was not occupied at the time of the fire.”

The owner of the shop is a science teacher, and the workshop was believed to be a laboratory. A crew from NAS Whidbey was summoned in case there were chemicals involved.

Moffatt said the cause of the fire was unknown immediately and is under investigation.