Two families are now homeless after a two-alarm fire destroyed one home and heavily damaged a second home overnight near East Bremerton, fire officials said.
Firefighters responded to the scene, in the 3000 block of Parklane Drive, at about 1:30 a.m. Monday after receiving reports of smoke and flames roaring from a large home there, just south of Illahee State Park.
Despite fire crews' efforts, one house was totally destroyed by the flames and the home next door was heavily damaged.
Fire officials at first thought three people were missing from the first home - but then they learned the family of three who lives in the home was on vacation, Bremerton fire officials told KOMO News.
A father and son who live in the second home were able to evacuate without injury.
Now neither house is livable.
The owners of the initial home arrived back a few hours later to see the damage for themselves - and were obviously devastated. A woman could be seen crying on her husband's shoulder as they surveyed the extensive damage.
Now firefighters are trying to douse hot spots and cool down the gutted remnants of the home so that investigators can get in and figure out what caused the blaze.