Fire damages Sunnyside home north of Vancouver

Fire damaged a house Thursday morning in the Sunnyside neighborhood north of Vancouver, according to the Vancouver Fire Department.

The fire was reported at 11:29 a.m. when a Washington State Patrol trooper spotted a smoke plume while driving on Padden Parkway, according to Vancouver fire Capt. Joe Spatz.

Spatz said the first crew arriving at the house in the 11000 block of Northeast 81st Way found the rear exterior of the house, including a deck and hot tub, engulfed in flame.

Firefighters knocked down the flames in three to four minutes and kept the fire limited to mostly the exterior of the house, according to Spatz. He said flames broke a window and entered into the house but were extinguished from outside.

A search of house found no one inside.Spatz said the resident told firefighters later that she had gone to the store 10 minutes earlier.

No injuries were reported, but the house was not habitable, Spatz said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.