South Kitsap Fire and Rescue workers extinguished a fire in a rental house on Grant Street and California Avenue SE, in Manchester, late Tuesday morning.
The resident planned to clean her house that morning, since her children were with her husband for the day, said David Lynam, the Kitsap County fire marshall.
Then, one of her friends stopped to visit, he said.
After her friend had come into the house, the resident decided to put gasoline into her wood-burning stove to ignite a fire, and little bit of gasoline spilled onto the ground in front of the stove, and some got onto her pants.
“The fumes went everywhere and things just went bad,” he said.
She tried to put the fire out with a blanket, and her pants caught on fire, said Lyman.
At that point, her friend left for help, said Lyman.
Engine 9, from South Kitsap’s newest station in Manchester, arrived at the scene first.
“When they arrived, the house was 50 percent involved,” said Doug Richards, B-Shift Battalion Chief.
Fire and Rescue workers searched the home for additional victims.
They found none and extinguished the fire from the exterior.
“This is a great example of why we’re thankful to the public for their support,” said Richards. “It allows for quick response for fire extinguishing.”
Meanwhile resident went to the hospital for her injuries, but was released the next day.
“Often when people are in any kind of a fire, the effects aren’t immediate,” said Lyman.
“Breathing in smoke, can give you respetory problems that aren’t immediately evident.”
The effects of burns also sometimes aren’t felt for several days.
Lyman said that he hopes that the fire will serve as an example of why gasoline is a dangerous fuel source for fires.
“It’s a very, very bad idea to ignite a fire with gasoline,” he said. “Gasoline belongs in engines.”
