UPDATE | Port Madison fire claimed pet dog

Published 12:48 pm Monday, November 17, 2014

More bad news came for a Port Madison family late Sunday after Bainbridge Island firefighters discovered the family’s pet dog did not escape from a devastating house fire Nov. 16 on Sivertson Road NE.

Bainbridge Island Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter said firefighters were finally able to enter the one-story home that was consumed by flames Sunday, and discovered the family’s dog had been killed in the fire.

“Yesterday afternoon we able to go in through a window and found the dog under the bed,” Carpenter said.

Earlier reports that the family also had a pet cat inside the home were later found to be false, however. Carpenter said the family did not have a cat.

The two-alarm fire destroyed the Port Madison-area home, a 1,300-square-foot house built in 1936. One of the homeowners also received minor burns to the back of his neck after he ran back into the house to try to find their dog.

He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Carpenter said the investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. “We’re going to meet with the homeowners tomorrow to conduct a more in-depth interview,” Carpenter said.

While a gas-powered generator initially drew some attention from investigators, the actual cause of the fire may have a different origin.

“What we’re looking at is possibly electrical,” Carpenter said.

“The homeowner seemed to think the fire started inside the house, and the generator was outside the house,” he said.

Carpenter said he hopes to determine the cause of the blaze by midweek.