It was just a few short months ago that area firefighters and community members gathered at the Skagit County Fire District 13 Snee-Oosh Road station for a special “push-in” ceremony that officially welcomed a new tender truck to the district fleet.
The 50,000-pound, 575-horsepower Pierce fire rig is already pulling its weight — and more.
The new tender, a 2026 model built in Florida, played a key role in the response to a recent major house fire in the Shelter Bay residential community, District 13 Chief Wood Weiss said on May 14.
Weiss told District 13 Commissioners at their monthly meeting that the tender, with its large water capacity, was ideally suited to fight the Shelter Bay blaze, which occurred the previous morning and drew crews from multiple departments.
“We got several thousand gallons of water off,” Weiss said, “and then the tender strike force came in.”
The District 13 tender truck was ultimately employed as an on-scene nurse tender, Weiss said.
He said a nurse tender is a fire apparatus with a large water tank that acts as a direct stationary water source.
District 13 firefighters were joined on the call by those from the Town of La Conner, McLean Road, Anacortes, BayView, Mount Vernon, Mount Erie and Conway, several of whom provided their own tender trucks. Weiss said a hydrant in nearby Swinomish Village was used to refill the tenders.
“It was a big fire,” Weiss said. “We saw a full-on smoke column on our way there. It was very advanced and fast-spreading.
“I thought our guys did a great job in a dangerous situation,” he added.
The damage to the single story residence at 67 Kalama Place was extensive, but fortunately the home’s occupants exited the house safely. The cause of the fire and estimated damage have yet to be released.
“There was one injury,” said Weiss, referring to a man said to have been promptly released after being treated for what were apparently minor burns.
“I saw him back there a while later,” Weiss said.
Weiss said the fire appeared to start in the back of the house
“But there will be an investigation to come,” he noted.
La Conner Fire Chief Aaron Reinstra on Wednesday also alluded to the sweeping nature of the blaze.
“It was a fully involved fire,” Reinstra said.
Weiss thanked La Conner Hook & Ladder and the other agencies and departments, including Swinomish Police, that responded to the scene.
“We had tremendous people helping,” Weiss said. “There were a lot of people helping. It’s a great community, the fire community.”
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
