Early in the morning on December 9, a devastating fire broke out in the Camera Corner store, located on the first floor of the Naval Elks Lodge Building in downtown Port Angeles.

A passerby reported that smoke was coming from the building and when the firefighters arrived, they encountered very heavy smoke and fire conditions.

Video courtesy of Port Angeles Television Productions.

The fire was extinguished following a lengthy, aggressive fire attack by the first arriving firefighters, coupled with the assistance of the Port Angeles off-duty career and volunteer personnel plus mutual aid firefighters from Clallam County Fire Districts #2 and #3.

The majority of fire damage was limited to the Camera Corner, however, the Elks Lodge and several adjoining businesses suffered extensive smoke and water damage.

This was the second major fire that the Port Angeles downtown has experienced in the past two years. From a fire department perspective, both of these fires have had positive outcomes, largely due to extensive training and preparation by firefighters.

From the community perspective, although these fires have been devastating, the reality is that it could have been considerably worse. These fires point out the need for increased emphasis for the installation of fire protection systems in the Port Angeles downtown area.

Although the majority of the Elks Lodge was covered by a fire alarm system, the Camera Corner portion was not. It is entirely likely that if the Camera Corner was equipped with a fire alarm system, or ideally with fire sprinklers, that this fire would have been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

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