3 firefighters injured in Whidbey Island house explosion
A house explosion near Lagoon Point injured three firefighters and destroyed two homes, leaving crews on Smugglers Cove Road at a dangerous active scene.
A house exploded near Lagoon Point in Greenbank, injuring three firefighters and turning a house fire on Smugglers Cove Road into an emergency on Whidbey Island. Crews arrived at about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, and the blast followed shortly after.
The injured responders included two fire chiefs and one firefighter from Central Whidbey Island Fire & Rescue and South Whidbey Fire/EMS. Two were taken to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett and a third was transported to Island Hospital. All three were in stable condition.
Two civilians drove themselves to a hospital before emergency responders could evaluate them. The explosion and fire destroyed the home where it started, a neighboring house also burned down, and a third home sustained damage from the blast.
Crews from North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, Navy Fire, South Whidbey Fire/EMS, the Langley Police Department, the Island County Sheriff’s Office and Navy Region Northwest responded to the scene. Red Cross Disaster Action was prepared to help with emergency shelter, food, clothing and other support if displaced residents needed it.
The cause remained under investigation Wednesday evening by the Region 3 Arson Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. About 700 pounds of fireworks were inside the house, and another small explosion occurred after the main fire was brought under control as fireworks continued detonating during overhaul operations.
Witnesses heard repeated loud blasts, saw a thick black smoke cloud and felt the ground shake as crews worked the scene. The area remained an active emergency and investigation site near Smugglers Cove Road and Lagoon Point.
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