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Firefighters save people trapped by house fire in Shelton early Wednesday morning

Smoke billows from a home on the corner of North First Street and West Pine Street in Shelton in the early hours of Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Smoke billows from a home on the corner of North First Street and West Pine Street in Shelton in the early hours of Wednesday, Feb. 15. Courtesy of Central Mason Fire and EMS

Firefighters saved several people who were trapped by a house fire in downtown Shelton early Wednesday morning.

Central Mason Fire and EMS responded at about 2:40 a.m. to the multi-family home at North First Street and West Pine Street, according to a news release. Dispatch reportedly advised firefighters that more than 20 people lived at the home and several of them were trapped on the second floor.

Within minutes, fire crews arrived at the scene and saw several people on the second-floor balconies. They got to work on the blaze and searched the first and second floor in “black smoke conditions,” according to Central Mason Fire.

“Immediately a quick knockdown of the fire was initiated,” Fire Chief Jeff Snyder said in an email to The Olympian. “Simultaneously crews entered the first and second floors to search for possible victims. Meanwhile, an additional crew rescued two trapped persons from a rear balcony by ground ladder.”

Crews accounted for all occupants and reported no injuries, according to the news release.

The cause of the fire was “incendiary” and remained under investigation Wednesday, Snyder said. Crews reportedly stayed at the scene for about eight hours to mop up hot spots and support investigators, he said.

Mason County Fire District 11 and District 4 as well as the Shelton Police Department assisted Central Mason Fire and EMS.

Firefighters from Central Mason Fire and EMS stand outside a home on the corner of North First Street and West Pine Street in downtown Shelton in early hours of Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.
Firefighters from Central Mason Fire and EMS stand outside a home on the corner of North First Street and West Pine Street in downtown Shelton in early hours of Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. Courtesy of Central Mason Fire and EMS

This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 12:01 PM.

Martín Bilbao
The Olympian
Martín Bilbao reports on Thurston County government, courts and breaking news. He joined The Olympian in November 2020 and previously worked for The Bellingham Herald and Daily Bruin. He was born in Ecuador and grew up in California. Support my work with a digital subscription
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