Fire destroys van in Hazel Dell parking lot

A vehicle that caught fire overnight Wednesday in the parking lot of a strip mall off Highway 99 in Hazel Dell had no license plates and an unreadable VIN number.

The Clark County Fire Marshal’s office said Wednesday morning it was continuing to look into the cause of the fire.

A single Clark County Fire District 6 fire engine was dispatched about 1:21 a.m. to the 8600 block of Northeast Highway 99.

The engine arrived within five minutes. Its crew saw a boxy Ford Aerostar van engulfed in flames, said Fire District 6 spokesman Dave Schmitke.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, Schmitke said. They were on the scene for a little more than an hour, he said.

The van was parked in the lot of a two-section strip mall that houses Top To Bottom, an apparel store. The heat from the fire cracked the window of a nearby business space.

The owner of the Aerostar was nowhere to be found, and Schmitke said the van had no license plates and its VIN number was unidentifiable.

Dispatch notes did not list who reported the fire, said Schmitke.