Animals Rescued From Structure Fire

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Crews remain on scene and are still working to fully extinguish a residential fire that was dispatched at 3:43 this afternoon.
The home is located on Old Cedars Place NW and was fully involved upon the arrival of crews from Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue. The call was upgraded to a second alarm and units from neighboring agencies also responded.
Nobody was home at the time of the fire.
Due to its location and lack of hydrants, a strike team of tenders were deployed to shuttle water for hours from an area off Clear Creek Road.
The home, a large detached garage/shop, several outbuildings and a boat have been destroyed.
There are no injuries to civilians or fire crews. Numerous animals were rescued by fire crews including goats, chickens, dogs and cats.
The Kitsap Humane Society responded to help care for the animals on scene and the Red Cross has been dispatched to assist the family. The County Fire Marshal will investigate the cause.
CKFRs Rehab Unit also responded to ensure the safety and wellness of firefighters on scene. Making sure they were hydrated, cooled down, and healthy. Rehabs crew couldn’t stage right next to the scene so they carted in water, food, and medical supplies. Rehab also refills the firefighter’s tanks as needed.
Thank you to our mutual aid partners – Poulsbo Fire Department and Bremerton Fire.

Garage Fire

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Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched at 9:21 this morning to a structure fire in the 14000 block of Thomas Drive NW, Silverdale. A neighbor had called 911 after seeing black smoke coming from a detached garage on the property.
CKFRs Battalion Chief was first to arrive on scene and confirmed it was a working fire and the garage was fully involved.
Initial reports indicated that the homeowner’s son used the garage as a living space. Thankfully, there was nobody inside at the time of the fire. The fire did spread to trees and a couple vehicles nearby, but firefighters were able to keep it from reaching the main house.
There were no injuries to civilians or crew. The County Fire Marshal will investigate the cause.

Early Morning Fire Destroys Lake Symington Home

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At approximately 12:58 am today, Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue was dispatched to a residential structure fire in the 12000 block of NW Overland Trail in Lake Symington.
Upon arrival, crews found the one story, single family home, with fire showing on all sides.
Thankfully all occupants had evacuated and there were no injuries.
The County Fire Marshal will investigate the cause.
More info will be released when it’s available.

Fire During Birthday Party

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At approximately 4:35 pm today, Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue was dispatched to a residential structure fire in the 10000 block of Capitola Place NW, Silverdale.
All occupants were able to safely get out of the home. They had been celebrating a daughter’s birthday when the fire occurred.
The fire is believed to have started downstairs, but the County Fire Marshal is investigating and will determine the cause and origin.
Mutual aid was provided by Bremerton Fire, Poulsbo Fire, and Navy Region Northwest.

Eldorado Brush Fire

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Crews battled a 20×20 brushfire near the 7700 block of NW Eldorado Blvd.
The fire was threatening an industrial building nearby, but firefighters were able to stop it. They continue to work on full extinguishment.
The fire was called in by a citizen walking their dog.

Early Morning Fire

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Four adults are safe this morning after their home caught fire around 3:51 am in the 3300 block of Quinault Drive in Bremerton.

CKFR crews arrived at the two story spit level home to find smoke and flames coming from a 2nd floor bedroom. All occupants were safely outside and without injuries.

The home is not habitable and Red Cross has been called to assist the occupants, all of whom are adults.

The County Fire Marshal is on scene investigating the cause. Bremerton Fire provided mutual aid.

New CKFR Fire Chief

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Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue is pleased to announce a new Fire Chief has been selected to replace retiring Fire Chief John Oliver. Longtime member Jay Christian will begin serving as Fire Chief effective July 1, 2022.

Chief Christian was born and raised in San Diego, California. Prior to his fire service career, he entered the US Coast Guard in 1993 and served 5 years as a Damage Controlman Second Class.

Chief Christian was hired with Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue in April 2000 as a Firefighter/EMT, and promoted through the ranks of Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief, and Assistant Chief. During his time as a company officer, he served as the Training Lieutenant and in programs with an emphasis in special operations. He also served on the Kitsap County Technical Rescue Team for over 10 years as both a team member and a leader.

Chief Christian has an Associate’s Degree in Fire Protection and a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Administration. He has served as both Operations and Support Services Assistant Chief with CKFR (2020-current) before being promoted by the Board of Commissioners to Fire Chief.

He was recently accepted into the Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI) after competing with new fire chiefs and chief officers from across the country and Canada to become a member of the 2022 cohort program.

The FSEDI is a year-long leadership-development program. It was created and implemented by the International Association of Fire Chiefs to provide new and aspiring chiefs with the tools they need to have successful and productive tenures. Members of the cohort will meet four times in the coming year.

Chief Christian is most excited to begin working as a trusted partner in the community and discover innovative ways to serve others as CKFR grows.

He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their two teenage children in the Tracyton area.

First Graduating Class

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Congratulations to the first graduating class of the Kitsap Fire Academy! The Wolfpack graduated today with a ceremony honoring their hard work and achievements.
Unfortunately we were unable to live stream the event, but we will be posting video and pictures next week. We’re so proud of these new firefighters – please join us in congratulating them all!

New Assistant Chief

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We’re excited to announce our newest Assistant Chief, Kara Putnam, the first female to hold such a rank throughout Kitsap County’s fire service.
Chief Putnam has been with Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue since 2008.
She was born and raised in Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska at Kearney on a track and field scholarship. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Science, she attended University of Nebraska Medical Center and graduated with certification in cytotechnology.
Kara moved to Washington State in 1997, originally working as a cytotechnologist and eventually volunteering with King County Fire District #20 from 2007 to 2008, at which time she was hired as a firefighter with Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue. From there she was:
• Promoted to Apparatus Operator in 2013
• Promoted to Lieutenant in 2017
• Promoted to Captain in 2021
Other significant accomplishments throughout Chief Putnam’s career include:
• Committee member of the Apparatus Operator (AO) team who created our AO program
• Attended the Los Angeles Fire Department Leadership Academy
• Member of the CKFR Bike Team
• CKFR Firefighter of the Year in 2016
• Member of the CKFR Peer Support Team
• Academy Coordinator for the inaugural Kitsap Fire Academy in 2022
• Training Officer from 2020 to 2022
• Volunteer EMT bike rider for the Cascade Bicycle Club
Kara lives in Seattle with her wife, Margot, and two dogs.

Seabeck Structure Fire

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Update 8:50: Ferrellgas is on scene to “flare” tanks to release propane safely from the fire damaged tanks.
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Update 8:03: The fire is now extinguished. The County Fire Marshal will investigate the cause. Seabeck Hwy remains closed at this time while crews continue to keep their eye on a propane tank on scene.
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Update 6:59 pm: Fire is under control. PSE has arrived on scene which will allow crews to finish extinguishing the fire once live wires are shut down. Seabeck Highway remains closed.
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⚠️ Seabeck Highway is CLOSED due to a residential structure fire in the area of Seabeck Hwy and Leeward Ave NW.
All occupants are out of the home.