A fire on West 30th Street in Vancouver Tuesday evening claimed a man’s life, according to firefighters.
The fire at 516 W. 30th St. was reported at 6:42 p.m. by a passer-by, who told dispatchers that someone was still inside the burning house.
Vancouver firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the front of the house, said Darrin Deming, a spokesman for the Vancouver Fire Department
Firefighters tried to enter through the front door to in an attempt to effect a rescue, but, “They were met with extremely high heat and very low visibility, and were forced to back out,” Deming said.
Firefighters then went to the rear of the home and found the house ablaze. Deming said they were able to subdue the flames enough so they could go inside.
The firefighters recovered one person, a male, inside the home, Deming said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two pets died in the fire, he said: a dog and a cat.
Thirty firefighters from Vancouver and Clark County Fire District 6 responded, along with police and the city fire marshal.
Firefighters and police officers were still on the scene past 9 p.m.
Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said her staff was investigating the fire.
It was the second house fire in west Vancouver on Tuesday. Around 2 p.m., a fire broke out at a house on West 36th Street, displacing a family.
