Fire Kills One; 15 Missing -- Flames Race Through Bremerton Apartments, Leaving 150 Homeless

BREMERTON - One person was confirmed dead and at least 15 people were unaccounted for in a fire that raged through a four-story apartment building today. The tower of flames and smoke could be seen as far away as Seattle.

"We expect there could be additional deaths," said Michelle Laboda, spokeswoman for the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management. It was unclear at midday how many of the missing people were in the Kona Village Apartments when the fire broke out.

Officials were particularly concerned about the six of the 15 who were living in the building's west wing, where the fire started and damage was heaviest.

The 6 a.m. blaze destroyed much of the 140-unit building on Bremerton's east side. Firefighters used ladders to help many residents climb down from upper-floor balconies. Other residents jumped to safety.

The 26-year-old wood-frame structure at 1717 N.E. Sheridan Road lacked a sprinkler system, a fire-department spokesman said.

Other factors that contributed to the seriousness of the blaze, fire officials said, were a common attic with no fire walls - which allowed the flames to spread quickly throughout the building - and smoke alarms that were activated individually rather than through a building-wide network.

This was not the first fire at the complex, which was originally built as a retirement home and now houses 154 residents. Following a 1986 fire, Bremerton Fire Marshal Chet Meigs wrote a

letter to the building's owner, citing "serious fire and building code violations." It was not clear whether those problems had been corrected.

More than 100 firefighters battled the three-alarm blaze as thick, black smoke poured from the complex, a rectangular structure built around a central parking area.

The person who died dropped two floors when the second and third floors burned away, fire officials said. The body was found outside the apartment building.

The identity of the victim was not immediately known, according to Bremerton Mayor Lynne Horton.

Augie Campbell arrived at the complex at 7 a.m. after learning of the fire. His father and stepmother, George and Virginia Campbell, both 75, live in the top southwest corner apartment, now completely burned down.

The elder Campbells' car was still in the lot and they were among those unaccounted for. Augie Campbell's son-in-law, Dave Silagy, was bracing for bad news.

"We don't have any answers, but we expect the worst," Silagy said.

Mayor Horton, at the scene this morning, called the fire "a tragedy for Bremerton" and said it's the largest fire she knows of in her 23 years there.

Five residents, ranging in age from 32 to 83, were being treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries at Bremerton's Harrison Memorial Hospital.

Also at the hospital was another resident, a 54-year-old woman, who was at work when the fire broke out and suffered chest pains when she heard of the fire. A hospital official said all of those bring treated were expected to be released today.

The fire was discovered by an apartment manager delivering newspapers on the third floor of the building's west wing.

One resident, Kevin Nielsen, said he woke up at 6:20 a.m. to the sound of people shouting "fire."

Catherine McDonald, his partner, looked out the window and said, "This is serious." She grabbed her backpack and fled, thinking Nielsen was following.

But within seconds, before he could escape, the apartment burst into flames. Fire shot across the ceiling and curtains and Nielsen could not open the door.

"It was very hot and I couldn't breathe. I got on my hands and knees and crawled across the floor," he said. He managed to get on the apartment's balcony, saw many other residents waiting on adjacent balconies, and waited until firefighters helped him to safety.

Accounts were also emerging this morning of residents risking their lives to help neighbors to safety.

A fire official confirmed that one such person was Richard Faulkner, 30. A second-floor resident, he ran to safety with his girlfriend across flaming carpets, then returned to knock on or kick in some 50 to 60 doors, helping a number of frightened elderly residents to safety.

"I was pretty scared and thought of quitting," Faulkner said. He said firefighters even urged him to get out of the building and stay out, "But I kept hearing another scream."

Michelle Nation, an east-wing resident on the third floor, said her 17-year-old daughter woke her up about 6 a.m. shouting that she heard someone screaming "fire."

"The entire second and third floors of the west side were engulfed in flames," Nation said. She grabbed purse and shoes and, with her daughter and grandson, ran to the first floor. Then she remembered her pet bird. She ran back up, where the south section was half in flames.

"It went up so quick I couldn't believe it," she said, adding that she did manage to rescue her bird.

Many other residents were offered shelter in nearby churches.

Among them was Pauline Stevenson, 69, a resident of the west wing's third floor, which was almost totally destroyed by fire.

Stevenson's son, Michael, said his mother had heard noises in the hallway about the time the fire started, but went back to sleep. He said another building resident, a Navy man, awoke her and carried her down three flights to safety.

She escaped with just the green bathrobe she was wearing, her walker and a small toy bunny.

Firefighters from all around

Lindsy Ingram, spokeswoman for Kitsap Fire District 15, said firefighters from Bremerton and a half-dozen neighboring fire departments, including Puget Sound Naval Fire District 7 and Mason County, battled the blaze.

Viola Lewis, 87, said someone "banged and banged and banged" on her door to alert her to the fire. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to do. I panicked. I had never seen anything like this before."

Lewis said she was most worried about losing some personal papers and medication - especially her vitamins - which she had to abandon. This morning, she donned a raincoat and blue slacks from the Red Cross' supply of emergency clothing.

Another resident, Phyllis Martinez, ran from her apartment this morning but realized she was wearing only a nightgown. So she ran back for shoes and a coat.

The time between her first and second exits was just a matter of minutes, but the fire "spread incredibly fast," she said. "It spread all around. I could not believe it."

Panic in the parking lot

Residents were trying to get cars out of the parking lot in the panic and kept running into one another. Finally, people were told to leave their cars where they were, Martinez said.

Apartment resident Jeremiah Jellison, 20, said he was awakened by his girlfriend about 6:15 a.m.

"She heard someone screaming `fire.' I jumped up, ran to the window, fought with the curtains, and outside it was completely orange.

"We threw on shirts, pants, shoes, no socks, grabbed my wallet and the heaviest jackets we could find and went down," said Jellison, who has lived since September in a one-bedroom unit he rents for $420 a month.

Jellison said he and his girlfriend, Christina Price, lost everything.

He said he and Price were discussing getting renters' insurance just the other day.

"We were talking about it, but we didn't get it yet. We didn't realize it would be that urgent a deal," he said.

Seattle Times staff reporters Jack Broom and Charles E. Brown contributed to this report.