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Fire rips through waterfront home near Gig Harbor

GIG HARBOR, Wash. — A large waterfront home near Gig Harbor was ravaged by fire.

The home in the 7700 block of Olympic View Drive Northwest in the Rosedale area is situated on the banks of Carr Inlet.

The fire at the $2.2 million home broke out about 3:45 a.m. Wednesday.

"We heard several explosions, like gunshots," said neighbor Margie Ritchey.

It was the sound of propane tanks and an RV there exploding.

The children of the homeowners said their parents were out of town.

Video from Chopper 7 shows that vehicles were also destroyed by flames. The fire may have started in the garage, but officials are not yet able to investigate to determine the cause.

Firefighters still remained at the scene hours later, putting out hot spots.

"It was a fully involved 5,000 square foot residential fire. There were no hydrants in the area," said Tina Curran with the Gig Harbor Fire Department.

The fire had to be fought from and with the waters of the Puget Sound, pumping it out to attack the flames.
According to Pierce Co. deputies at the scene, there was a break-in at a home across the street around the same time the fire started.

A neighbor said they saw a man with a duffel bag get into a kayak and row away.

Deputies couldn’t confirm that the two incidents were linked but said they are investigating.

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