Bush fire spreads to nearby homes in Oak Harbor

Two homes were damaged as the result of a fire that started in bushes Thursday afternoon. No one was injured as the result of the fire.

When firefighters arrived shortly after 4 p.m. all of the bushes in the backyard of a Fairhaven Drive home were ablaze and the fire had spread to the roof of an Echo Loop home, Battalion Chief Ray Merrill said.

Several neighbors and police officers were using garden hoses to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby homes.

"They did a good job keeping it in check before we got there," Merrill said.

It took approximately 10 minutes for firefighters to douse the blaze. Two holes were burned into the Echo Loop home, but the fire didn't damage the building's interior. In addition to the burned bushes, the fire broke windows, scorched the paint and damaged a deck, Merrill said.

The cause of Thursday's fire is still under investigation, but indications point to the fire being accidental.

In addition to the Oak Harbor Fire Department, North Whidbey Fire and Rescue and Navy Region Northwest Fire and Emergency provided mutual aid to assist in extinguishing blaze and preventing it from spreading.

Contact Whidbey News Times Staff reporter Nathan Whalen at nwhalen@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5058.

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