Bystanders’ quick thinking helped fight a fire in Coupeville earlier this week.

At 8:44 a.m. on Monday, Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue responded to a residential fire on Terry Road. Sixteen responders, three engines, two water tenders, a rescue truck and mutual aid from North and South Whidbey fire districts arrived on the scene.

Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue Chief Jerry Helm said a grease fire started while the homeowner made breakfast for several volunteers working to restore other buildings on the property. The homeowner shut the stove off before bringing the volunteers their meal outside, but the appliance was still hot.

Volunteers shut the front door and ran a garden hose through a window to help contain the fire. Units arrived within five minutes — Helm was among the first on the scene — and the initial engine “knocked out” the worst of the it. Completely extinguishing the fire took about two-and-a-half hours after checking for hotspots, Helm said.

Nobody was injured. Although the home sustained substantial interior damage, it is still standing. Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue also managed to “recover a lot of old documents and family heirlooms from the residence for the homeowner,” Helm reported. The home used to be a granary that, according to Helm, survived a fire back in the ’50s.

Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue did not end up needing help from mutual aid partners.

“Limiting the airflow by shutting the front door bought a lot of time for our units to get on scene and finish extinguishing the fire,” Helm said. Doing so, he added, is “vitally important” whenever homes catch on fire.

(Photo by Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue). Central Whidbey Island firefighters at the scene of the incident.

(Photo by Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue). Firefighters respond to a residential fire.