Firefighters knocked down a fire at a landmark Thurston County home at the corner of Old Highway 99 and Waldrick Road on Monday. East Olympia Fire District 6 responded to the fire at about 9 a.m. and knocked it down in about 15-20 minutes, deputy chief of operations Mike Calhoun said. The blaze caused extensive but not fatal damage to the historic, blue home, locally known as the French Café. “It was a great effort and crews did a really good job of saving this home,” Calhoun said. “It’s kind of an icon in the neighborhood.”
No people occupied the home at the time of the fire, Calhoun said, but firefighters did rescue a large German Shepard which suffered from smoke inhalation. He added the dog was transported to an emergency veterinarian and is expected to recover.