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06/12/2005: "What A Place For A Fire!!"

Photo by Jack McKenna

Quick thinking and action by a citizen who pushed the car with his truck away from the gas pumps, and response from the Fire Chief and store owner, averted what started out as having the potential to have put Friday Harbor back on the Seattle evening T.V. news... for the wrong reasons.

What could have been a major disaster, ended up as a lost car and a ruined vacation for tourists who lost their car to a fire early Sunday morning. When the owner of the car stopped at the Little store, a fire broke out in their car as it sat between the gas pumps and the wall of the store. According to Jack McKenna, bystanders reported that the car seemed to explode. McKenna said "I can tell you that there was a strong smell of hot electrical insulation prior to the big whoosh. The car was under the awning, with flames washing the wood above, but a customer with a truck in line behind pushed it clear to the position you see in the pictures". One of the store clerks saw black smoke coming out of the engine and ran to get Bob Wingate, the owner of the store, who was working in the office. Bob ran out to the car with a fire extinguisher, and found, of all people, Fire Chief Bob Lowe working on the fire with bottle fire extinguishers. Chief Low had been driving past when the fire broke out. Bob and Bob kept the fire from spreading to the gas pumps and the building while they waited for a full response from the Fire Department. When the fire trucks showed up, they were able to put out the fire, and then did a check of the building roof to be sure the fire had not migrated from the car to the roofing material.

One of the family members said this was their first time to Friday Harbor, and that they were not likely to forget the trip; and then added "Love the people here!". Roche Harbor sent a bus to pick up the family, but Nate Mauldin already had them packed up in his car and ready to go. The reason they had stopped at the Little Store? Their car was overheating and they were looking for water.