Firefighters on Vashon battled heavy flames that engulfed a residence on Tuesday, Aug. 1, in the 11800 block of SW Cove Rd.

Crews first arriving on the scene assisted a resident from the rear of the residence, who was treated on the scene and then transported to St. Anne Hospital in Burien, said Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) Fire Chief Matt Vinci. VIFR called the Red Cross and connected the resident with a case worker, he added.

A pet cat was also rescued from the scene, with crews giving oxygen to the cat before transporting it to Fair Isle Animal Hospital.

The residence, a double-wide manufactured home, suffered significant damage.

VIFR received the call to the blaze at 4:48 p.m. on Aug. 1, with Vinci and Division Chief Ben Davidson arriving first on the scene at 4:55 p.m.

At that time, Vinci said, he and Davidson observed large flames on the exterior of the front of the house.

The crew fighting the blaze grew to include Division Chief Scot McDonald, Captain Josh Munger, and four other career firefighters/EMTs.

They were joined by four volunteer firefighters, two volunteer EMTs, and two volunteer support staff members.

Vinci described a difficult response, with a narrow driveway with trees on either side leading to the house, and no nearby hydrant.

Two tenders, from VIFR’s Burton Fire Station and the Bank Road station, were brought to the scene, he said. The fire was determined to be out at 6:40 p.m., but firefighters stayed on the scene until 11:45 p.m.

The cause of the fire — thought to have started on the front porch of the house — was improper disposal of smoking materials. That determination was made by the King County Sheriff’s Office’s fire investigation unit, Vinci said.

Islanders rally to help

As word of the fire spread, islanders on social media channels identified and sought to help the resident of the home, Darla DeNatale, who escaped the blaze with only her purse.

In the meantime, Fair Isle Animal Hospital, caring for DeNatale’s cat, Molly, made a call to Vashon Island Pet Protectors (VIPP).

Geoff Fletcher, of VIPP, said that his organization had provided a quiet, safe home for Molly to reside in until Saturday, Aug. 5, when DeNatale and the cat were reunited, amid hugs and tears.

At that time, DeNatale called VIPP “one of her heroes,” according to Fletcher, and later texted him to let him know that Molly did not want to leave her side.

“You put smiles on both our faces,” she wrote.

Friends of DeNatale have also established a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help her begin to rebuild her life after the fire.