Three Firefighters Hospitalized After Greenbank House Fire Triggers Multiple Explosion
A quiet Wednesday afternoon in Greenbank turned into a nightmare when a home on Smugglers Cove Road exploded with enough force to knock firefighters off their feet.
The call came in at 2:45 p.m. on June 24, 2026. By the time crews arrived, the situation had already crossed the line from house fire to something far more dangerous.
The Blast That Threw a Firefighter Into a Truck
Firefighter Kolton Kellison of Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue described what happened next. A large explosion hit shortly after crews arrived on scene. One firefighter was thrown into a truck. Another was knocked straight to the ground.
Three firefighters total were injured. Two were transported to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. A third went to Island Hospital. All three are currently in stable condition.
Two residents were also hurt. They drove themselves to the hospital before emergency responders could evaluate them on scene.
700 Pounds of Fireworks. Inside a House.
Here is the detail every other outlet buried in the third paragraph. Approximately 700 pounds of fireworks were stored inside that residential home.
That is not a typo.
According to South Whidbey Record, even after the main blaze was brought under control around 5 p.m., a second smaller explosion went off.
Fireworks continued detonating as late as 6:30 p.m. Neighbor Steven Ulibarri-Kearney said a particularly loud blast shook the ground.
Carol Lewellen, who has lived a few houses down since 2013, said she heard repeated booming sounds while knitting on her porch before spotting a big, huge black cloud of smoke.
This is the kind of fire that does not stay contained. It was only a few months ago that a Durham home fire spread to the attic while someone was still inside and even that did not involve 700 pounds of explosive material stored on the premises.
Three homes were ultimately affected. The primary home was completely destroyed. A neighboring home caught fire from the blast. A third sustained damage.
The American Red Cross Northwest Region activated disaster support including emergency shelter, food, and clothing for displaced residents.
Why This Matters for Every Homeowner
This is not just a breaking news story. It is a home safety failure with consequences that spread across an entire street.
According to NFPA data, 2024 saw an estimated 14,700 fireworks-related injuries in the U.S. which was a 52% spike compared to 2023. And those numbers reflect individual misuse.
What happened in Greenbank involved a residential structure storing what amounts to a small commercial stockpile.
Home safety incidents are escalating faster than most people realize. If you want to stay current on stories like this as they break, the Build Like New WhatsApp channel covers developing home safety news worth keeping an eye on.
We have seen this pattern before. A fire starts small, gets out of control fast, and a family loses everything like this Sterling family did after a power strip ignited their home.
When there is an accelerant like 700 pounds of fireworks involved, the outcome is never contained to one house.
Under Washington State law, possession of illegal fireworks weighing one pound or more is a gross misdemeanor. At 700 pounds, this was not a storage oversight.
It was a ticking hazard in a residential neighborhood that took three firefighters, multiple agencies, and three families’ homes down with it.
The Region 3 Arson Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are now investigating both the cause of the fire and the explosion.
What do you think, should residential areas have stricter checks for hazardous material storage? Drop your thoughts in the comments. We read every one.
What Homeowners Should Take From This
If you ever smell something unusual from a neighboring property, or notice repeated large deliveries of unmarked boxes, report it to your local fire marshal. You are not overreacting.
The scariest part about incidents like the Greenbank explosion is that most neighbors never see it coming, much like the Sunland Park attic fire that broke out late at night with no warning signs whatsoever.
Events like Greenbank prove that one home’s hazard is every neighbor’s emergency.
Final Thoughts
The Greenbank explosion is still under active investigation. But the story it tells right now is clear. Storing explosive materials inside a home does not just risk one family. It risks an entire block and the first responders who show up to save it.
If this story made you think twice about home safety, there is a lot more where that came from. Visit Build Like New for ongoing coverage of real home safety incidents, practical tips, and news that actually matters to homeowners.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, based on reports available as of June 24 to 25, 2026. The investigation is ongoing. For official updates, refer to Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue and the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
