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03/09/2006: "Good Timing"

(Steve Allen, owner of Customwood, watches as volunteer firefighters receive orders)

High winds, wood building in the middle of town, fire hidden from view. That was the bad news. Normal work hours, alert neighbor, a quick response from the fire department. That was the good news.

Dan Lowe, the owner of Lowe Construction was working in his office (which is in his wood working and construction material storage building) when he noticed smoke coming from under the building next door. A building that is very close to his building. He called in the report, and within a short time the fire department and Sheriff deputies were on the scene. One of their first actions was to disconnect the electrical power to the building, as a general preventive measure, and then locate both the location and source of the fire.

The source of the fire did turn out to be, as was predicted by on-lookers, of an electrical origin. Because of the quick response by all involved, the damage to the building was minimal; and the potential for another major fire in Friday Harbor was averted.