Submitted by Orcas Island Fire and Rescue.

Orcas Island Fire and Rescue crews responded to a reported car fire near Little Summit on Mt. Constitution Road in Moran State Park shortly before noon on Sunday, July 21.

The road was closed to vehicle traffic for an hour while the fire was extinguished and wildland exposures were protected. No injuries were sustained by members of the public or by responding personnel. The suspected source of ignition originated in the engine compartment.

The fire response was led by Battalion Chief Jeff Larsen and Lieutenant Alexander Conrad. Initial units arrived on scene within 10 minutes of the call for service. In total, four fire apparatus and one command vehicle responded, bringing 2,600 gallons of water to the incident. The vehicle fire was fully involved on arrival with significant wildland exposure.

“The fire was extinguished with approximately 500 gallons of water and a dry-chem fire extinguisher,” said Larsen. “We deployed the remaining water resources on scene to dampen the surrounding forest as a safety precaution against wildland extension via hot embers.”

The car fire was call number 721 for the year. This is compared to 658 calls, year-to-date, from a year ago, representing a nearly 10 percent increase in calls for service.