Fire under stove does $40,000 in damage

A fire beneath the floorboards in an old farm house on Washougal River Road Thursday did a conservative $40,000 in damage, Deputy Clark County Fire Marshal Dan Young said.

East County Fire & Rescue responded to the home, at 2208 S.E. Washougal River Road, around 11:40 a.m. after the occupants noticed smoke.

Young said the homeowners tried to put out the smoldering fire themselves and called the fire department.

It appeared that the mortar in the bricks below a wood stove had begun to fail with age, Young said, and a smoldering fire picked up in the thick, old floorboards underneath.

Between smoke damage and damage to the floor from when firefighters cut inside to get at the fire, Young said, the fire probably did at least $40,000 in damage.

The house is still habitable, he said.