SILVERDALE, Wash. -- A fire that destroyed a commercial complex Sunday apparently started when a light over a tanning bed exploded at Desert Sun Tanning Salon near Silverdale Way and Ridgetop Boulevard.
"I was in bed number 6," said Payton Herdman, 15, of Silverdale. "There was a loud pop, and I looked up and the acrylic where the light bulb is was on fire."
Herdman said the fire seemed to be contained within the light fixture, so she quickly dressed and ran out to warn staffers at the salon, who shut off the power and went to check the room. By the time they got there, she said, the room was engulfed in flames and alarms were going off.
Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue received the alarm at 2:15 p.m., said Ileana LiMarzi, spokeswoman for Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue. Flames spread quickly to the roof and through the attic of the building at 9995 Silverdale Way.
A ladder crew attacked the fire with water from above, while others directed water onto the structure from the ground. Flames shot up into the air, and residents reported heavy smoke over a large area of Silverdale. The fire was reported under control about 4:30 p.m., but firefighters continued to search for hot spots for at least another hour and expected to remain on watch through the night.
Except for a minor cut on the hand of one firefighter, no one was reported injured.
Besides Desert Sun, affected businesses include Hearing Solutions, Forza Coffee Co., Cigar Land, Ed Wyse Beauty Supply and Cruise Holidays, the latter of which was reportedly recently closed at that location.
The fire was contained to one building, and fire officials say it is likely that the structure will be declared a total loss.
An investigator from the Kitsap County Fire Marshal's Office was on the scene Sunday and confirmed that the fire probably started in a tanning bed. More work will be conducted Monday when she can get into the building.
The structure was not equipped with sprinklers, which were not required at the time of construction, LiMarzi said.
Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue was assisted on the fire by the Bremerton Fire Department and the Navy's Federal Fire Department.
Copyright 2012 - Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, Wash.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
