Multiple vehicles, including two classic trucks, were destroyed in a garage fire late Friday morning in Ridgefield.
One crew with Clark County Fire & Rescue was dispatched around 11 a.m. to an area west of Interstate 5 and south of the Lewis River when a caller reported seeing smoke. While en route, a second caller reported seeing heavy smoke, more than would be typical for a burn pile, Chief John Nohr said.
A third caller reported that their neighbor’s garage was on fire and provided an address on Northwest Pekin Ferry Drive, Nohr said.
The call was upgraded to a full response. Five engines, a ladder truck and three water tenders were deployed to the home.
The first crew to arrive came upon a large, detached garage engulfed in flames. The fire had already burned off the roof of the building and destroyed two trucks, motorcycles and an RV, Nohr said.
Firefighters focused on dousing a nearby house and a motor home parked in the driveway before shifting their attention to the garage. The fire had quickly burned the garage, and it was more important to prevent its spread to other property, the fire chief said.
Nohr estimated the garage was 40 by 60 feet. He said a lot of the homes in the area have detached garages.
Despite the building’s close proximity to the home, the fire went unnoticed by the homeowner for a fair amount of time. They reported hearing pops outside. On the first instance of hearing the noises, they thought it was a neighbor firing a gun, which sometimes happens. On the second instance, they decided to go investigate and found the garage up in flames.
The homeowner called 911, but others had already done so and firefighters were on their way, Nohr said.
Firefighters spent about a half-hour getting the blaze under control and remained at the scene for hours cleaning up the destruction.
The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.
