A chimney fire broke out in the basement of a house in the 700 block of Taft Street in the Morgan Hill area of Port Townsend on the morning of Sunday, May 17. The fire was declared extinguished about an hour later, and no injuries were reported.

The homeowners said they had experienced a small chimney fire after starting up a wood-burning stove in their basement on Saturday evening, May 16. They did not call 911 and thought they had extinguished the fire, according to a press release from East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR).

On Sunday morning, one of the residents checked the basement area again and saw additional smoke. She opened the garage to vent the space and left to take a shower. Upon rechecking later, she saw that the smoke was thicker and called 911. EJFR was dispatched to the fire at 8:29 a.m.

Firefighters' efforts to extinguish the fire were hampered by tight quarters and congested space in the basement of the 1,200-squarefoot home, built in 1952. The fire was eventually put out, one hour later, at 9:28 a.m.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way, with investigators focusing on the area of the wood-burning stove.

EJFR Fire Chief Gordon Pomeroy stated that it's always a good idea to contact the fire department after a fire in the home, even a small one.

"Fires have a bad habit of flaring back up - sometimes after an extended period of time," he said. "We've got thermal imaging cameras which can look behind walls and other blocked-off areas to find hot spots that are not visible. We encourage folks to give us a call to ensure their safety."

Engine 91 from Naval Magazine Indian Island and command staff from Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue assisted EJFR with the fire. Discovery Bay Volunteer Fire and Rescue and Quilcene Fire Rescue staffed local stations to provide support while local firefighters were occupied at Taft Street.