Vancouver home damaged in 2-alarm fire

July 20--A two-alarm house fire caused an estimated $150,000 in damage and displaced five people Sunday evening in Vancouver's Old Evergreen Highway neighborhood.

The fire was reported to 911 at about 5:15 p.m. by people on the Columbia River, said Vancouver Fire Department Capt. Scott Willis. They saw the plume of smoke coming from the house, 1901 S.E. 97th Ave., south of state Highway 14.

About 30 firefighters responded. When they arrived, they found flames outside the house and in its garage and attic, Willis said. The incident triggered a two-alarm response in part because of the hot and windy weather conditions, Willis said. The fire also was in danger of spreading to a house next door.

Crews had the flames knocked down by about 5:45 p.m., Willis said.

"We ended up being able to put it out before it got to the second house," he said.

Ricardo Patino, a resident of the home, said his girlfriend spotted the fire outside the house through a window in the garage. It apparently had started near some garbage containers on the side of the house.

Patino said he grabbed a fire extinguisher and tried to put out the flames before they spread to the garage, but the fire moved too quickly. The couple scrambled to get family members, including a 4-month-old, out of the house. Nobody was hurt.

Patino said five people lived in the home, and that he did not have renters' insurance.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, said Chris Drone, lead deputy fire marshal. He estimated about $150,000 in damage was done to the house and its contents.

Landlords Ed Linder and Barbara Schoorl showed up soon after the fire was knocked down. They previously lived in the home for about a decade and said it was recently remodeled.

As Linder talked about the new roof that was put on the home about a year ago, firefighters stood on top of the house and cut into it with chain saws. Firefighters remained on scene to mop up and control any smoldering.

"It's kind of sad," Schoorl said of the fire. But "everybody's safe. That's all that matters."

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