Overloading of an electrical outlet caused the fire that destroyed a double-wide mobile home Tuesday morning in Clark County’s Proebstel neighborhood, according to the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fire, which displaced two people and their two pets, started in a shed attached to the home, Deputy Fire Marshal Ken Hill said. Several lights and at least one fan were plugged in inside the shed. Damage to the mobile home, described as an older model made in the 1970s, is estimated at $15,000, Hill said.
The fire was reported at 11:03 a.m. Tuesday at 20316 N.E. 58th St., off of state Highway 500 in Vancouver. The highway was closed for 15 minutes while firefighters fought the blaze.
A man who lived in the home had tried to put out the fire with a garden hose. He was treated on the property for second-degree burns and declined to be taken to a hospital, said Vancouver Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Griffee.
The man, and a woman who also lived on the property, were assisted by the Red Cross, which provided them with food, clothing, comfort kits and information about disaster health services.
