Fire marshal: Grease on stovetop caused Woodland house fire

A fire at a home in Woodland on Thursday night started when the resident accidentally used the incorrect burner on a stovetop, according to the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office.

“The homeowner turned on the wrong burner and got a pan of grease going on it, and then (flames) spread to the cabinets, and it was off to the races,” said Assistant Fire Marshal Curtis Eavenson.

Firefighters were called to the home near the corner of Sycamore Street and Heartwood Drive around 6 p.m.

Clark County Fire & Rescue Chief John Nohr said the arriving firefighters found smoke coming from a single-story manufactured home, and called for help from Cowlitz County Fire District 1 and Clark County Fire District 6.

One occupant, the homeowner, was having difficulty breathing, Nohr said, but it appeared to be unrelated to smoke inhalation, and they declined treatment.

The home is currently uninhabitable, and the occupant was going to stay with family locally, Nohr said.

Damage was confined mostly to the kitchen, but there is smoke damage to the rest of the home, according to Eavenson.

The fire marshal estimated that the blaze resulted in $50,000 in damages.