Coupeville mobile home destroyed by fire

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 30, 2016

By Ron Newberry

Whidbey News-Times staff reporter

COUPEVILLE — After firefighters had left his property Sunday afternoon, Bruce Silvia remained next to the charred shell of his house, trying to come to grips with what happened.

He was headed to Oak Harbor on Sunday morning, then returned in a panic after the Island County Sheriff’s Office called to tell him his house was on fire.

By the time he got home, much of his mobile home was burned to the ground. Also gone were nearly all of his belongings, including family photo albums and home videos.

“It hurts. God does it hurt,” Silvia said. “It digs deep into your inner soul.

“I’ve walked around this place six times. Every time, something else hits.”

Silvia was grateful, however, that no one was in the house.

As the owner of a construction company and septic service, he rose early Sunday to go to a job site.

“If it had happened three-and-a-half hours earlier, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.

Central Whidbey Fire &Rescue was notified around 9:30 a.m., but one emergency vehicle was already headed that way after noticing a huge plume of smoke in the sky.

Crews from North Whidbey Fire and Oak Harbor Fire also responded.

When fire crews arrived at the scene at Quailtrail Lane, the home was engulfed in flames, Central Whidbey Fire Deputy Fire Chief Charlie Smith said. Firefighters worked to protect nearby properties.

Smith said the cause of the fire was undetermined.

Silvia praised the firefighters’ efforts to keep the flames from spreading. He said they also combed through the ashes to try to recover sentimental items. They found an urn containing ashes of a loved one, though Silvia was still looking for another.

Silvia said he was thankful for the kindness of neighbors and even a firefighter who offered him a place to stay temporarily. He said he was told his insurance would cover the loss of his home.

As the first raindrops in weeks started to fall, Silvia didn’t want to leave the scene.

He was holding out hope that Baby, his 12-year-old cat, made it out.

Firefighters searched for Baby but couldn’t find him. Some windows were left open, leading Silvia to believe that Baby might have had a chance.