Residents at 11185 Meadowlark Lane just off of Koura Road on Bainbridge Island called 911 at 3:06 a.m. today, January 28, to report a fire in their home. Smoke alarms alerted them to the fire while they were asleep in their bedroom. When they opened the bedroom door, they were engulfed in smoke and evacuated safely outside.

According to Bainbridge Fire Marshall Luke Carpenter, extensive damage occurred in their garage, destroying their car, and flames spread to the attic and into the kitchen. Fire fighters contained the fire, but smoke damage is pervasive throughout the house.

The home owner told me he has no idea what started the blaze but was just glad the batteries in his smoke detectors were working.

According to Carpenter, the fire’s cause appears to be accidental but is under investigation. A crew is currently investigating on site.

Carpenter told me this is the third house fire on Bainbridge in roughly the last month and a half. Although this home had working smoke alarms, the other two homes did not. According to Carpenter, if the residents of those homes had been asleep at the times of the fires, there is a strong likelihood they would have died. “There are obviously folks in our community who don’t have smoke alarms, and we want to get the word out that it is not safe,” he said.

Carpenter said that whenever Bainbridge fire fighters respond to a fire they bring smoke alarms and install them if they aren’t already present in buildings. He also emphasized the importance of making sure batteries are up-to-date.

Photos by Julie Hall.