A fire destroyed the barn and a nearby office of Vashon’s Westside Stables, in the early morning hours of Aug. 20.

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) responded to the call at the long-established and well-known island riding school at 21200 Westside Highway at 1:28 a.m. with a total crew of 13, which included eight certified firefighters as well as support personnel that included VIRF tender operators, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and two King County Medic One paramedics.

Fire Chief Matt Vinci, who was on the scene, said no civilians, animals or firefighters were injured in the blaze, and he praised the work of the first responders.

By the time firefighters arrived, Vinci said, the fire was fully involved.

CiCi Carson, the owner of Westside Stables, told The Beachcomber on Sunday that she and three other people had been able to safely evacuate the six horses that are used in her riding school prior to the arrival of VIFR personnel. By the time the first firefighters arrived on the scene, her chickens were flying out of the barn to safety, she said.

Carson said despite the devastation of the fire, she believes that with the “loving support of my tight-knit community, I can and will have the capacity to rebuild.”

Donations of saddles, bridles, halters, water troughs and other items from the community would be gratefully appreciated, she said, adding that a GoFundMe campaign has been launched at tinyurl.com/3np7ur6y.

Vinci detailed the fire district’s response to the Saturday morning incident.

“All our staff who responded are a dedicated group of people,” he said. “They all worked hard and they all had specific roles.”

However, he said, more staffing is needed in the district — the crew of eight certified firefighters was not enough for the size of the blaze.

Only three career firefighters were on duty at the station when the call came in, Vinci said, due to a current staffing shortage.

Four additional firefighters have recently been hired by VIFR and are currently in training for the next 20 weeks.

Vinci, who was hired as chief on July 20, said he would center the issue of sufficient staffing for the district in a new upcoming strategic plan.

“It’s our mission to save property and lives,” Vinci said. “It is not an acceptable risk for your home or barn to burn down.”

The district fought the fire with water from tenders, as well as a foam application on hay in the barn, Vinci said, with firefighters working late into the morning to ensure the blaze was completely out.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, pending an investigation, which is customary in large structure fires of this kind.