Cause of Salmon Creek house fire undetermined

Fire investigators were unable to determine the cause of a Feb. 21 fire that destroyed a Salmon Creek house and killed five pets.

No ignition source or point of origin was found among the damage in the house in the 500 block of Northeast 127th Avenue, Clark County Deputy Fire Marshal Rick Searls said Tuesday.

No one was home when the fire was reported at 8:36 a.m., nearly two weeks ago. Ashley Mitchum, an off-duty firefighter who lives nearby, called in the fire, and shot video of the smoke and flames as the first engine arrived on the scene.

When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke and flames shooting out from the back of the house’s west end.

Ten engines and other equipment from Clark County Fire District 6 and Vancouver Fire Department responded to the fire, which was brought under control at 9:14 a.m., said David Schmitke, spokesman for Fire District 6.

The fire ripped through the two-story home and killed three dogs and two cats. Two adults and one child lived in the house. Red Cross was called to help the family, and a GoFundMe also has been set up: www.gofundme.com/f/crystal-and-mckenzie.

Searls said he did not have an estimate for the monetary loss resulting from the fire, but photos on the fundraising page show a charred, severely damaged structure.