Overview
- A residence near Lagoon Point on Whidbey Island exploded in the late afternoon on Wednesday after firefighters arrived for a reported house fire, destroying at least one home, damaging others, and forcing evacuations.
- Three first responders — two fire chiefs and one firefighter — were injured and taken to local hospitals in stable condition, and at least two civilians self-transported for medical care.
- Preliminary findings from investigators identify hundreds of pounds of fireworks stored inside the house as the blast source and say someone smoking near the cache may have ignited it.
- The Region 3 Arson Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are coordinating the ongoing investigation and county officials say no arrests have been made so far.
- Neighbors and local groups have launched relief efforts and multiple GoFundMe campaigns to help displaced families and the injured firefighters, and officials say the probe will determine whether criminal charges are warranted.