JOYCE — A 64-year-old caregiver was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle when a double-wide manufactured home west of Joyce was destroyed by fire.
Twelve percent of the man’s upper back and arms had first- and mostly second-degree burns from the early Sunday afternoon blaze, Clallam County Fire District 4 Chief Greg Waters said Monday.
The man’s condition was unavailable Monday. Waters is prohibited from giving his identity under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, he said.
Waters said the man, who was shirtless, was injured trying to evacuate the homeowner, Alfred Keys, from the double-wide. Keys was not injured.
“He was trying to get the homeowner to get out,” Waters said. “The homeowner kept trying to fight the fire.”
The caregiver was initially treated by an off-duty Seattle firefighter until fire district medical personnel arrived. Waters did not know the firefighter’s name.
Emergency medical technicians administered advanced life support, treated the caregiver’s burns and gave him pain medication, Waters said.
Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. John Hollis said the home in the 45000 block of state Highway 112 was 7 miles west of Joyce off 112, west of the Lyre River Campground and past Cannon Ball Road, in an area with spotty cellphone reception.
Several other people live in trailers on the property, Hollis said.
The fire was called in to 9-1-1 at 12:41 p.m. Sunday.
It started in the kitchen, Hollis said.
“We were notified something was wrong with the stove,” Hollis said.
The home had an electric range and a free-standing wood stove, he said, adding it was likely the fire started on the range.
The blaze is not under investigation, Hollis said.
He said he arrived at the fire at about 12:50 p.m., when it was already well along.
“You’re basically keeping the forest from catching on fire at that point,” he said.
“It was already a complete loss. They kept knocking it down and knocking it down.”
Waters said fire was under control by about 1:15 p.m., but it took a few more hours to completely extinguish.
The home’s metal roof caved in, making it difficult to completely squelch the flames and hot spots.
Fire District 4 transported the caregiver to Olympic Medical Center. Olympic Ambulance drove him to Harborview.
Nine District 4 personnel responded to the fire with two engines, two tenders and two ambulances.
The two-bedroom, one-bathroom, 768-square-foot home and property had a market value of $51,533, according to the county Assessor’s Office.
“It’s just a burnt pile now,” Hollis said.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
