After firefighters left his property Sunday afternoon, Bruce Silvia remained next to the charred shell of his house, still trying to come to grips with what happened.
He had left his Coupeville home Sunday morning to go to Oak Harbor, then returned in a panic after the Island County Sheriff’s Department called to tell him his house was on fire.
By the time he got home, much of his mobile home had already burned to the ground. Gone were nearly all of his belongings, including family photo albums, home videos and other sentimental possessions filled with memories.
“It hurts. God does it hurt,” Silvia said. “It digs deep into your inner soul.
“I’ve walked around this place six times. Every time, something else hits.”
Silvia was grateful, however, that no one was in the house at the time it ignited.
The owner of a construction company and septic service, he rose early Sunday to go to a job site.
“If it had happened three-and-a-half hours earlier, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue was notified formally around 9:30 a.m., but one EMS unit was already en route after noticing a huge plume of smoke in the sky.
Emergency units from North Whidbey Fire and Oak Harbor Fire also responded. South Whidbey Fire/EMS assisted by covering calls for Central Whidbey, which had devoted five or six units to the effort, Central Whidbey Fire deputy fire chief Charlie Smith said.
When units arrived at the scene at Quailtrail Lane, the home was already fully engulfed in flames, Smith said. Central Whidbey Fire took a defensive approach to protect nearby property and structures.
Smith said the cause of the fire was undetermined.
Silvia said he doesn’t smoke and doesn’t cook at home. He said he can’t imagine how the fire might’ve started.
Silvia praised the firefighters’ efforts to keep the fire from spreading. He said they also combed through the ashes to try to recover sentimental items and were able to find an urn containing ashes of a loved one, though he was still looking for another.
Silvia said he was thankful for the kindness of neighbors and even a firefighter who offered him a place to stay. He said he was told his insurance would cover the loss of his home. His insurance also has helped him find temporary lodging.
As the first raindrops in weeks started to fall, Silvia didn’t want to leave the scene.
He was holding out hope that Baby, his 12-year-old cat who was in the home when he left, made it out alive.
Firefighters searched for Baby, a roughly 20-pound Maine Coon, but couldn’t find a cat among the devastation. Some windows were left open, leading Silvia to believe that Baby might’ve had a chance to get out and run away.
Silvia has gone back each night hoping Baby might return, his stepdaughter Brandi Avance said.
“We’re hoping he is still scared and gone, but we don’t know,” she said.
On social media, there has been an outpouring of support, prayers and well wishes from those who want to help Silvia. Avance said she is unaware of any online fundraising campaign on her stepfathers’ behalf nor could she say whether he’d be willing to accept the help.
“He’s kind of old school,” she said. “He’s been a hard worker his whole life. I know he appreciates everybody’s help and them offering.”
