Fire reports: Inopportune backfire sets a car aflame; thermostat was way too hot

Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One Reports November 20 — 26

Total Reports: 130

Fire: 1

EMS/Rescue: 106

Other: 23

Nov. 21: Commercial fire alarm — A report of a commercial fire alarm was made at the 4400 block of Burnham Drive around 2:00 a.m. Units arrived to find a commercial building with an audible alarm sounding. Crews searched for any hazards by looking into the building windows and walking the exterior of the building. No hazards were found. The building manager confirmed that the alarm was caused by a system malfunction.

Nov. 22: Thermostat fire — Residents in the 6000 block of Soundview Drive reported a fire around 5:00 a.m. When crews arrived, the residents had evacuated. Firefighters entered the residence to find light smoke and charring around the outside of a thermostat due to an electrical short. Crews removed the thermostat from the wall and pulled wires from the electrical box. Natural ventilation was used to remove the light smoke.

Nov. 28: Car fire — A vehicle caught fire around 10:00 p.m. near the 7100 block of Stinson Avenue. Responding crews could see the smoke from two blocks away. The driver stated the fire started after the vehicle backfired. Burn patterns on the vehicle indicated the fire spread quickly into the passenger compartment. The driver was not injured.

This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 12:56 PM.