Firefighters from Pacific County Fire District No. 1 and Long Beach Fire Department responded to the call and had the fire contained within minutes, sparing nearby buildings.

LONG BEACH, Wash. — A smokehouse filled with holiday ham went up in smoke Tuesday morning in Long Beach, leaving one resident without gifts to give days before Christmas.

There were no injuries and damage was limited. But as the smell of smoked bacon filled the morning air, the aftermath wasn’t so savory for owner Gene Klingler.

“The holiday gifts are gone,” Klingler said as he stood over the smoldering remains. “It’s a big loss.”

The pork, destined to be holiday gifts for family members, had only been smoking for a few hours before the fire started, Klingler said.

Neighbors called 911 at about 11 a.m. after noticing smoke billowing from the telephone booth-sized smokehouse located at 8106 Washington Ave. in Long Beach. Pacific County Fire District No. 1 and Long Beach Fire Volunteer Department responded to the call and contained the fire within minutes.

“The smoker got a little hot and got up into the eaves. Fortunately there was no extension into the structure,” Pacific County Fire District No. 1 firefighter David Allsup said. “We were able to confine it to the smokehouse.”