Family of 6 displaced by house fire

A family may be displaced during Christmas, but a smoke detector kept a Saturday blaze from becoming a fatal fire, a county official said.

The family of six was asleep when a fire broke out in their garage and then spread to the house at 6010 N.E. 214th Ave.

Vancouver Fire Department personnel were dispatched at about 3:55 a.m.

A furnace problem started the fire in the garage, said Dan Young, Clark County deputy fire marshal. The flames spread to the house, and eventually reached the attic of the two-story structure.

“A smoke detector woke the family and got them out,” Young said. “A working smoke detector saved a family.”

The house is on a five-acre site east of Proebstel and north of state Highway 500. Access was a problem for responding fire units, Young said.

The family of six was displaced, Young said. In addition to structural damage, there was smoke damage throughout the house.

The regional American Red Cross said it was assisting the two adults and four children, as well as several pets. Resources included temporary housing, food and clothing.

The occupants were renters, Young said. According to Clark County property information, the owners are Vitaliy and Elena Mironyuk, and the assessed value of the house was $192,405.