Woman, kids unhurt after fleeing blaze

ZACHARY KAUFMAN/The Columbian Chandra Bruce comforts her son, 13, after firefighters rescued them, her 3-year-old daughter and their dog from the roof of their burning home in Cascade Park on Tuesday.

Chandra Bruce saw smoke rise up the stairs in her home in Cascade Park on Tuesday morning.

Bruce yelled, “Fire!,” to alert her 13-year-old son in the next room. Then, the mom, her son, 3-year-old daughter and basset hound-beagle mix, Shilo, escaped out a window of an upstairs room and onto the front roof.

Before leaving, Bruce grabbed her cell phone and called 911. Meanwhile, her son threw their cat, Friday, out a back window to save it.

Five minutes later, Vancouver firefighters arrived. One firefighter propped a ladder up to the roof, and one-by-one, hoisted all of them down to safety.

The morning fire that torched the inside of Bruce’s rented home at 705 S.E. 141st Ave. also tested her family’s fire escape plan. After the fire, Bruce’s efforts were credited as life-saving.

“Anytime occupants can exit safely, they’ve done the right thing,” Vancouver Firefighter-spokesman Jim Flaherty said. “She did a great job and probably saved lives.”

The fire started at about 9 a.m. when Bruce smelled smoke and then heard the fire alarm. At first, she thought her son was cooking something. Then, she glanced down the stairs and saw smoke.

Her son also saw flames coming out a first-floor back window.

After she gathered everyone up, Bruce contemplated whether going out the window was the best route. Her son urged her toward that route.

“He kept saying, ‘Let’s just get out,’” she said.

Once on the roof, Bruce knew it was the right choice: She saw smoke filling up the upstairs room.

“I’ve never had a fire before,” she said. “I just knew I had to get out.”

A firefighter, Nate Cook, guided Bruce’s son and Bruce and carried the toddler and dog down the ladder. Meanwhile, more crews arrived to battle the blaze.

Heavy smoke filled the entire house and flames spilled out the front door, Flaherty said. Twenty-two firefighters brought the blaze under control in 20 minutes.

Damage to the home and contents was estimated at $250,000, Flaherty said Tuesday evening.

The fire was caused by a child who, while trying to get something from a cupboard above the stove, unintentionally turned a burner on, Flaherty said. The burner then heated up something that had been left in a pot on the stove top.

To prevent such fires, folks should make sure nothing is left on the stove top. That way, even if a burner was turned on accidentally or left on unintentionally, there will be far less chance of a fire Flaherty said.

The basset hound bit the firefighter as he was corralling the dog off the roof, but the bite didn’t penetrate his glove. Two cats and a gecko were recovered uninjured.

After the fire was out, Bruce didn’t yet know what was salvageable inside her home. But she felt fortunate everyone got out safely.

“I guess all that fire training they teach you pays off,” she said.

The family doesn’t have renter’s insurance.

Names of the children were not available.

The Southwest Washington chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the family.

County records show the homeowners as Mark and Gwendolyn Thompson of White Salmon.

Laura McVicker: 360-735-4516 or laura.mcvicker@columbian.com. John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.