MILLER BAY — Damage from a house fire Aug. 30, thought to have been sparked by a smoldering discarded cigarette, was kept to a minimum due to good timing, the occupant’s actions and emergency responders’ response.

North Kitsap Fire & Rescue (NKF&R) crews were called to a Barrett Road home at 12:10 p.m. Thursday after the 20’ x 40’ doublewide mobile home’s occupants called 911 to report the blaze. The two adults had happened to stop by the home to find flames on the front porch and climbing the single-story structure’s wall.

One called 911 while the other got two dogs out and successfully slowed the fire’s progress with buckets of water. A Kitsap County Sheriff’s Deputy also helped thwart the flames with application of a dry-chemical fire extinguisher. The first NKF&R crew arrived on scene within eight minutes, reporting only light smoke and no fire. A 3’ x 3’ section of the wooden deck was completed consumed by fire. The adjacent wall was scorched. Minor fire and smoke damage affected the home’s interior when flames broke through the home’s front window. With the fire out, firefighters focused their efforts on ensuring complete extinguishment of the fire and removing the remaining smoke from the structure.

An investigator from the Kitsap County Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene and, based on the evidence and interviews with the occupants, believes that an incompletely extinguished cigarette most likely sparked the blaze. These types of fires can be avoided by using a metal can filled with water to ensure extinguishment of discarded cigarettes. Officials note that, had the occupants not returned home to discover the fire, the incident could have grown to much larger proportions before it was detected.

The occupants are renters and not displaced by the fire. The home’s owner is insured. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.