A neighbor driving down the hill noticed smoke and flames coming from the attached garage of a home in the 5000 block of NW El Camino Boulevard in Bremerton early Wednesday morning.

The passerby knocked on the home’s door to alert the sleeping residents. The homeowner and three young children all safely evacuated the residence and waited for firefighters to arrive. The eldest child said although she was frightened, she knew just what to do. Her class at school had just studied fire safety and she knew her job was to get outside quickly to the family meeting place.

Firefighters from Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue and Navy Region NW Fire and Emergency Services responded to the 6:52 a.m. call to find light smoke and flames coming from the side of the attached garage, directly under the family’s bedrooms. The smoke alarm in the garage was sounding when firefighters arrived.

Crews extinguished the fire and used a thermal imagining camera to pinpoint the hottest areas. Firefighters pried off the cedar siding in the charred area. An investigation determined the fire involvement was limited to the stud bay surrounding electrical wiring.

The Kitsap County Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was caused by defective wiring.