Cause of Battle Ground barn fire undetermined

BATTLE GROUND — The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office was unable to determine the exact cause of a February fire that destroyed a barn in Battle Ground.

Assistant Fire Marshal Curtis Eavenson ruled the cause of the Feb. 7 fire at 23019 N.E. 182nd Ave., as undetermined. But a space heater used in the building likely played a part, he said.

“The destruction was too great to say conclusively,” Eavenson said.

The barn and its contents were valued around $125,000, he said.

Crews with Clark County Fire District 3 were dispatched at 7:09 p.m. for a report of a structure fire. The fire district deployed four engines to the address, Battalion Chief Dave O’Brien told The Columbian.

The first engine arrived within five minutes and came upon what O’Brien described as a single-story, 30-by-40 barn in flames. It appeared the structure was nearly fully engulfed in flames, according to the battalion chief.

Crews used two hydrants to supply hose lines and an elevated water gun to extinguish the majority of the fire, the fire district said in a news release.

Firefighters attacked the blaze from the outside; they did not go inside, O’Brien said. The building contained “normal barn stuff,” he said. There is no indication animals were kept in the building.