Firefighters quickly doused a blaze at an east Vancouver home that heavily damaged a hot tub and covered patio Monday night.
Crews were called to 2013 N.E. 178th Ave. at about 11:30 p.m., when residents at the house who had been using the hot tub earlier in the evening smelled smoke, said Kevin Stromberg, firefighter and spokesman for the Vancouver Fire Department. The residents checked the back of their house and saw that the hot tub and a covered patio area were on fire.
The residents evacuated, and arriving firefighters put out the blaze within five minutes, Stromberg said.
The crew, 17 firefighters in all, stopped the flames from spreading to the residence, Stromberg said.
Clark County Assistant Fire Marshal Richard Martin said that an electrical control box for the hot tub malfunctioned and caused the fire. Damage was estimated at $35,000 he said.
