Greenbank house blast injures five, investigators examine 700 pounds of fireworks

Investigators were still sorting out how about 700 pounds of fireworks ended up inside a Greenbank house before the June 24 blast on Smugglers Cove Road destroyed two homes and injured five people. The explosion turned a quiet stretch of Whidbey Island into a major public-safety scene, with damage extending to a third home and smoke still hanging over the neighborhood a day later.

Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue firefighter Kolton Kellison said the fireworks were inside the home when firefighters arrived. The blast hit shortly after crews got there, throwing one firefighter into a truck and knocking another to the ground. Three firefighters were hospitalized after the explosion, and all three had been released by Friday morning, June 26. Two residents may also have been hurt, and later reporting said one firefighter feared losing a finger before doctors expected the firefighter to keep all of them.

The damage was not limited to the house where the fireworks were stored. Later coverage said the explosion destroyed two homes and damaged a third, while one portion of a nearby house was still smoldering the next day. The force of the blast was strong enough to be heard and felt for miles, a sign of how dangerous a residential fireworks cache can become when it ignites inside a neighborhood packed with homes.

By June 27, investigators had not determined what sparked the fire and had not decided whether criminal charges would be considered. Some investigators were examining whether smoking near the fireworks may have triggered the explosion, and the Island County Sheriff’s Office asked the public for any video of the incident. Reports also said the homeowners were cooperating with authorities while fire and law-enforcement officials worked to determine exactly how many fireworks were stored in the house and what types they were.

That question matters under Washington law. State Deputy Fire Marshal Courtney Chambers said commercial or display-grade fireworks require a license, and investigators were trying to determine whether the Greenbank cache crossed that line. One report said three or four truckloads of fireworks may have been delivered to the home the day before the explosion, a detail that could prove central as officials assess storage rules, possible possession violations and whether more enforcement action follows.