Man safely escapes house fire in Rose Village

Flames erupted Wednesday afternoon inside an occupied home in Vancouver’s Rose Village neighborhood. No one was injured.

Fire crews from the Vancouver Fire Department responded about 3:50 p.m. to reports of a house fire at 3415 V St.

One of the occupants, Terrence Vetter, who is renting the space with his wife, noticed smoke inside the home and called 911, according to Vancouver fire Capt. Scott Willis. Vetter was the only person home at the time.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze within five to 10 minutes, Willis said. It was not immediately known what caused the fire or its origin. A damage estimate was not yet available. A fire marshal and representatives from the American Red Cross were called to the scene to investigate and assist the residents.

A total of 19 firefighters, three engines, two trucks and two battalion chiefs responded to the fire. Officers with the Vancouver Police Department assisted with traffic control around the area.

Neighbors assist

Robin Hendricks, who was visiting a friend across the street, said she was getting ready to leave when she noticed smoke billowing from the house and saw Vetter come outside. She said she ran over to Vetter to stop him from re-entering the burning house.

Neighbors Michelle Papineau and Tosha Allen, who live across the street, said they grabbed their garden hoses and attempted to keep the flames at bay until firefighters arrived.

The women said the flames, which they estimated to be about 10 feet high, shattered a front and side window and were lapping the roof. It appeared the fire started in a bedroom.

“I can’t believe how fast it accelerated,” Papineau said.

The home is owned by Cori D. Anderson of Vancouver and has an assessed value of $60,998, according to Clark County property records.