The fire department responded to a house fire on Christmas day, but there was little damage as firefighters were able to quickly control the flames.

The home belongs to Caren and Andrew Loesch. In an interview with The Beachcomber following the fire, Caren said that they were standing outside after a walk in the late morning, when an electrical short occurred in the electricity mast that brings electricity to the house. Her husband called Puget Sound Energy, and she called 911. The first firefighter to arrive on the scene was Assistant Chief Bob Larsen, who lives nearby.

“He jumped out of his truck and grabbed our garden hose and went to work,” she said.

In all, there were 15 people who arrived on the scene, Chief Charlie Krimmert said, adding that the “potential was huge” for a far more serious house fire.

The electrical problem was dramatic, Caren Loesch said, with booming, arcing and smoking. A fire developed inside a wall, but she said that it resulted only in burnt framing in a small corner of the home and a missing section in the roof.

She repeatedly remarked on their good luck at seeing the start of the fire; had they been out on their walk or at the grocery store at the time of the electrical problem, the situation would have unfolded far differently.

“It is nothing compared to what it could have been,” she said.

She added that an old structure in the driveway — pillars from former a water tower — caused damage to one of the fire trucks on its way in. She added that situation caused her to think more seriously about emergency access to the home —something she encouraged other islanders to think about as well.

In addition to praising the fire department’s response, Caren Loesch also expressed gratitude to others who assisted the day after the fire, including D&D Electric and the Puget Sound Energy inspector, who were instrumental in a quick return of power to the home.

“I can’t believe we are in our home and have electricity,” she said.

— Susan Riemer