A brush fire burned about 5 acres of wildland west of Port Angeles in the early evening hours of Monday, July 22, Clallam 2 Fire Rescue officials reported.

The fire threatened but did not damage homes on West 13th and West 14th streets in Port Angeles, the fire district said.

Crews from the Port Angeles Fire Department responded with three fire engines, Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue responded with two fire engines, two wildland fire engines, and one command vehicle, Clallam County Fire District 3 and Fire District 4 responded with one fire engine each.

At about 6:19 p.m. on Monday, the Port Angeles Fire Department was dispatched to a report of smoke in a field which was quickly upgraded to a brush fire near the 1700 block of West 14th Street. Multiple callers reported flames in a field spreading quickly because of windy conditions.

The first responding firefighters found several structures at the end of the 1700 block of West 14th and West 13th streets that were in immediate danger, with fences near the houses already starting to burn. Structures saw flames come within about 10 feet, according to Clallam 2 Fire Rescue Chief Jake Patterson.

Photo by Jay Cline/Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue / A Clallam County FIre DIstrict 3 (Sequim) firefighter helps extinguish a b brush fire that scorched about 5 acres of wildland west of Port Angeles on July 22.

Additional firefighters were requested from District 3 and District 4, and the Port Angeles Police Department began evacuating structures within the path of the fire.

The fire was burning in all directions and as one area was knocked down, crews were able to redeploy to the south and west to establish fire lines around the fire.

In total there was 5 acres of grass and brush that burned, along with sections of fence bordering along the east side of the fire near the homes. No structures were damaged or lost to the fire, fire district officials said, nor any known civilian or firefighter injuries.

Crews began to clear the scene by 9 p.m.

Photo by Jay Cline/Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue / A brush fire consumes about 5 acres of wildland and threatens homes on West 13th and West 14th streets in Port Angeles on July 22.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and the Port Angeles Police Department is conducting an investigation.

Patterson said these types of wildland urban interface areas are extremely difficult to manage as the immediate threat to several homes often exceed the initial available firefighting force.

“The crews on this fire did an outstanding job of prioritizing the structures most threatened and then redeploying to meet the shifting fire,” he said. There was no structures damaged or lost to the fire.