Woman, dogs rescued from house fire in Rose Village

Firefighters rescued a woman and her dogs from a house that caught fire Friday afternoon in Vancouver’s Rose Village neighborhood.

Multiple people called in the fire at 1105 E. 29th St. around 1:30 p.m.

Vancouver firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the small, ranch-style house, and found a fire in the laundry room.

There were several dogs in the house, and one of the homeowners was inside the house trying to get them out, said Vancouver Fire Department Battalion Chief Rick Steele. Firefighters got the woman out of the house, but called police to assist after she went back inside.

Firefighters quickly got the fire under control and ventilated the house, Steele said. They got the dogs out of the house, though one was reportedly still missing mid-afternoon.

Steele said the fire was contained to the laundry room, but there’s smoke damage throughout the house. The American Red Cross was called to help the woman, Pam Kelly, and her pets by providing a comfort kit and information about recovery services.

Battalion Chief Rick Hussman said the fire was a good reminder to always leave the door to the laundry room closed.

The Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating what caused the fire.

The house is owned by Kelly and by Richard Klages of Amboy, according to Clark County property records.

Columbian archives show that an extensive fire occurred at that address on Dec. 3, 2012.

In that case, a neighbor awoke to the sounds of screaming at 4:45 a.m. that Monday morning, and soon spotted the fire. He helped Kelly rescue seven of her eight dogs.

Firefighters arrived and found the house was on fire. They extinguished the fire and rescued the last dog, though a pet bird died.

Kelly said she believes the house was poorly rebuilt by a restoration company after that fire. She’s had problems in the past, including a minor electrical fire a few weeks ago.