OYSTERVILLE — An Oysterville house belonging to Michael Parker was gutted by fire at around 7:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29.

Parker, a retired Portland landscape architect and photographer, and his dog Linus were unharmed by the blaze, which was brought under control by Pacific County Fire District No. 1.

Parker told a neighbor, “It got away from me. I was starting a fire in the woodstove and it got away from me.”

Constructed in 1980, the house at 33511 Territory Rd. contained Parker’s extensive book collection and other possessions. It’s unknown at this time whether his voluminous photographic archive was damaged. A private pilot for many years, Parker documented Oysterville, Willapa Bay and other regional landscapes — primarily via aerial photography.

Originally built for Parker as a vacation dwelling, he made it his full-time residence in the 1980s. It is currently assessed at about $179,000. It appears to be a total loss. The status of homeowners insurance is unknown at the time of this report.

Those wishing to do so may aid Parker with a donation at gofund.me/2100b5f1.