Houses evacuated. Playground burned. Here’s what we know about Sunday’s fire along SR 16
Sunday’s large bush fire along state Route 16 forced neighbors to evacuate their homes near Gig Harbor.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined, Tom Wescott with Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One told the Gateway Monday.
Wescott said an off-duty police officer who was helping was evaluated for smoke inhalation but not transferred to a hospital.
Crews were able to bring the fire under control within an hour, Wescott said.
The 2-acre fire started around 1:45 p.m. and closed lanes on eastbound state Route 16 near Wollochet Drive.
The incident caused traffic congestion for hours.
GHFMO spent Monday morning monitoring the site for hot spots.
On Sunday, Gig Harbor police asked about 20 residents in the area of 38th Avenue and Hunt Street to evacuate their homes, Sergeant Jeffrey Martineau said.
Evacuations included some homes at Harborland Mobile Home Park at 3702 Hunt St. Residents were able to return later that night.
One family is seeking help with veterinary bills after one their dogs got loose and ran toward the fire, according to their Facebook post and their GoFundMe page.
“The fire spread so fast by the time the fire department got there I had only a few minutes to get the dogs out of the house,” the owners said on their GoFundMe page.
Dexter, their 5-year-old corgi-heeler mix, suffered burns on the bottom of his paws, legs and chest, according to the page. The owners wrote that he’ll need to be hospitalized for a couple weeks and that it’ll take a few months for him to recover fully.
Wescott confirmed that a dog that left its house was reunited with the owner, but he couldn’t confirm any injuries.
Although no buildings sustained damage, playground equipment at Peninsula Lutheran Church burned, Wescott said.
Wescott said if more trees were in the area it could have been worse.
“They had some defensible space and the grass was short leading up to where the playground is, but if there had been more trees connecting some of those structures it could have been a different story,” Wescott said.
Wescott said Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, South Kitsap, Tacoma, and West Pierce firefighters worked together Sunday to fight the blaze. Washington State Patrol troopers helped with traffic control.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated who was treated for smoke inhalation. An off-duty police officer was evaluated, but not transferred to a hospital.
This story was originally published June 26, 2023 at 6:18 PM.
