A fire damaged an abandoned building at Northeast 30th Avenue and Northeast 78th Street in Hazel Dell, next door to King’s Way Christian Schools and Vancouver Church, early Thursday evening.
Clark County Fire District 6 spokesman David Schmitke said firefighters with the district and Vancouver Fire Department were called to the building, which was surrounded by tall grass, at around 6 p.m.
A Vancouver engine arrived first, he said, and firefighters found a fully-involved house fire, once they could see inside.
“Turns out the reason you couldn’t see any flames is because all the windows had been boarded up,” he said.
Unbeknownst to firefighters, the building had a basement and sat beneath some heavy-duty Bonneville Power Administration cables, making the fire a bit trickier to manage, Schmitke said.
The fire was under control after less than 20 minutes, he said.
It appeared the building had been used as a large storage shed for some time, he said, and there was word that transients have been using it as lodging.
Schmitke said people reported seeing people hanging around the area earlier Thursday.
When inside, firefighters found a burned old couch, but there was no clear indication of where the fire started or how, he said.
The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office was investigating.
Schmitke said firefighters would likely revisit the scene overnight in case the fire were to pick back up.
