Embers ignite wrapping paper in Vancouver house fire

Two rooms of a Walnut Grove home were damaged in a Wednesday night fire that began when fireplace embers ignited wrapping paper, according to fire officials.

Vancouver Fire Department sent out three engines and a truck to 6402 N.E. 66th Ave. at 10:17 p.m., said VFD spokesman Joe Spatz.

Firefighters arrived to find flames coming out of the front door of the home, Spatz said. They ran a water line from the street and began dousing the fire, which was extinguished in about 10 minutes.

The home’s occupants, including a pet, made it out of the home before responders arrived, Spatz said.

Fire damage was contained to two rooms. Assistant Clark County Fire Marshal Curtis Eavenson said the family was on scene when he finished his investigation, and it’s unclear whether they were displaced by the blaze or if damage left the home uninhabitable.

An 11-year-old was adding wood to the fireplace when embers from the fire ignited nearby leftover wrapping paper being used as kindling, Eavenson said.

Damage to the home was estimated at $20,000, according to the fire marshal.