A waterfront home on Bainbridge Island was destroyed in an early morning fire and one of the homeowners was injured when he ran back into his burning home to find the family’s dog.

The man was not seriously burned, fire officials said. The dog, and the family’s cat, was still missing Sunday morning.

The fire was reported at 9:32 a.m. after the homeowners heard an explosion in their basement.

It was not immediately clear if the explosion caused the fire, or the fire started first. There were fuel cans, propane tanks and other inflammables in the basement, fire officials said.

“What we initially got [called to] was a house on fire after a propane explosion,” said Bainbridge Island Assistant Chief Luke Carpenter.

The homeowner had started a gas-powered generator after power went out in the area.

The man and woman who live in the house reported hearing an explosion in the basement, and the woman called 911.

Carpenter said there were “lots of secondary explosions.”

Multiple neighbors also called 911.

“The two occupants of the house, husband and wife, got out,” Carpenter said, but the man was burned on the back of his head when he went back inside the burning home to look for the family’s dog and something burning struck him from behind.

Carpenter said the man’s burns were minor, and he was likely taken to Harrison Medical Center.

The home was located at least a quarter mile south of Sivertson Road NE on a gravel access road, and firefighters stretched long lines of hoses to tenders waiting on Sivertson Road to get water on the flames.

The first-in engine, Engine 84, came from North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, Carpenter said.

Bainbridge firefighters were not first on the scene because they responded from the Madison Avenue station; Bainbridge’s station on Phelps Road is not staffed around the clock.

The first Bainbridge firefighter to arrive was the duty chief, at 9:42 a.m. Sunday.

“We found the house fully involved [with flames],” Carpenter said.

The heat was so intense it burned through power lines to the home.

Puget Sound Energy was called to the scene to make sure the line was dead so firefighters would not be in danger of getting shocked.

Firefighters did not attempt to enter the home.

The fire was a defensive fire “right from the get-go,” Carpenter said.

“The house was so well-involved we were not going to allow anybody to go in,” he said. “Plus, we knew the two homeowners were out of the house.”

The home was a total loss.

“We’re going to stay defensively,” Carpenter said as firefighters continued to douse the wood home with water just before 11 a.m.

“The damage to the house … is so severe we’re not going to let anybody go in there,” Carpenter said.

A total of 16 units responded to the fire, including firefighters from Poulsbo.

Bainbridge police also responded to the scene as fire engines, emergency rigs and other vehicles clogged Sivertson Road.

No firefighters were injured battling the blaze.

Carpenter said firefighters would stay on the scene through Sunday afternoon, and the investigation into the fire would also start Sunday.

Power was restored to the north end of Bainbridge Island just minutes after the house fire was reported.