A fire destroyed a small residence on Vashon in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 3.

Vashon Island Fire District responded to a call about a cabin fire at 4:38 a.m. and arrived to find a fully involved fire in progress. More than a dozen firefighters battled the blaze and protected a nearby house to the west of the property, not leaving the scene until 8 a.m., said Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert.

A man who lived in the house sustained minor injuries on the scene and was transported to a hospital in Tacoma, Krimmert said, adding that he believed the man had been injured while breaking a window to the house in an attempt to rescue his dog. Sadly, the dog did not survive the fire.

A fire inspector’s report is pending, though the cause did not appear to be suspicious in nature, Krimmert said.

This was the third house fire on Vashon in the past month.

On Feb. 7, an unoccupied house burned, resulting in a total loss. Mid-month, another house caught fire, resulting in smoke damage.