New equipment, firefighting strategy key in Hazel Dell blaze

Jan. 31--As Julie Lewis volunteered with her co-workers Wednesday at a charity fundraiser, she took a moment to recognize the cruel irony of her newfound free time.

"We're all out of work, so we had some time today," Lewis said with a laugh.

Lewis' store, Denim & Frills consignment boutique, was one of several businesses damaged by a Jan. 19 fire at Holly Park Shopping Center in Hazel Dell. The three-alarm fire burned for 40 minutes and affected at least nine businesses.

As trying as the fire and its aftermath have been for Lewis and others who own businesses there, it could have been worse had it taken place a couple of years earlier, according to Clark County Fire District 6 officials.

The district responded, along with the Vancouver Fire Department and Clark County Fire and Rescue, around 2 p.m. with 12 engines, two tankers, one squad and three battalion chiefs. Flames were seen coming from the front of Chic Boutique and behind the strip mall, as the fire spread through a common attic.

The district recently purchased $70,000 in new equipment and has invested in research and training to help firefighters better contain blazes. In the past, crews responding to blazes similar to the one in Hazel Dell would have cut a hole in the roof to ventilate the fire, which allows smoke and heat to escape and firefighters to enter the structure, Fire District 6 spokesman Dave Schmitke said.

But the new training taught that opening such a hole also adds oxygen to the fire and allows it to spread more rapidly, Schmitke said. Firefighters decided not to ventilate the roof, which allowed them to blast water on the building before flames could engulf the common attic.

"We think that made a major impact between this building standing and it being on the ground," Schmitke said. "By all intents and purposes, this building should be on the ground."

Funding for the equipment and training came from a levy of $1.50 per $1,000 of property value approved in 2016. The levy was an increase from $1.27.

"The combination of requesting, researching and purchasing the right equipment with training and practical application gave us success in containing this fire and saving adjacent businesses," District 6 Operations Chief Kristan Maurer said. "The loss of property and business is significant, and we don't want to diminish the impact it has on our community. We are very thankful our citizens have given us the opportunity to make these crucial upgrades and better protect the people who call the district home."

The cause and damage costs of the fire are still being determined. Affected businesses remain closed indefinitely.

The enhancements may have saved other stores from suffering the same fate as Denim & Frills.

Owners recently received a letter asking them to retrieve any salvageable items from their stores, Lewis said. But Denim & Frills was one of the few stores directly hit by flames and is not safe to enter. The blaze destroyed everything in the shop -- even Lewis' purse -- and she likely will never be able to enter her store again, she said.

"It's going to be quite a while before everybody is going to be able to get back to business," Lewis said.

Lewis opened the boutique -- then 1,000 square feet -- mostly as a hobby with her mother. Since then, the store more than quadrupled in size and has become a mainstay at charitable events.

"We've had it for 22 years, and it's all we do," Lewis said. "It's hard because it's our identity."

Lewis has received hundreds of supportive messages, and a number of businesses have offered to donate or fundraise, she said. A GoFundMe page has been created to raise money as well, collecting over $2,000 in roughly a week.

The cost of relocating and re-opening the store will likely be three or four times the store's insurance payout, she said. Lewis has identified another spot in Hazel Dell as a possible new home for her store and is working to finalize the paperwork. She hopes to reopen in April or May.

Lewis said she is thankful for the help and that it will go a long way. Like she did with her mother more than two decades ago, Lewis will once again try to build from scratch.

"We have nothing," Lewis said, "only a pen and paper."

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