An apartment fire Saturday, believed started by a toddler playing with matches, displaced a Silverdale woman and her child, who were out of town at the time of the blaze.

Two women, a man and the toddler were in the apartment in the 11800 block of Majestic Lane at the time of the fire. Officials said they were not sure which of the adults was housesitting for Stella Rippitoe or who the toddler’s parents were.

According to Kitsap County Fire Marshal Derrick Crawley, Kimberly Olson, Kate Wright and Gregory Cumfer heard the smoke detectors in the bedroom go off and saw smoke coming from the closet.

Cumfer attempted to douse the fire with water but heat kept him back. He then ran down from the second story apartment to get a fire extinguisher. The women and child evacuated and called 911.

Cumfer, a Marine at Naval Subase Bangor, used the extinguisher to bring the fire under control.

Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue officials credited Cumfer’s quick thinking with keeping damage contained within one apartment.

Eight units and 18 firefighters, including Bangor, responded to the call.

It took about two hours to extinguish the fire and clear the smoke.

The apartment, which sustained $16,000 in fire and smoke damage, is uninhabitable. CKFR assisted the woman with finding a temporary place to live.

• Civil
• Smart
• On-topic
• Free from profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.

As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.

Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.