A fire that started on an elevated rear deck caused major damage to a Vancouver house on Wednesday night.
At 9:08 p.m., multiple calls were received for a fire on the backside of a home at 10002 N.E. Seventh St. in the Ellsworth Springs neighborhood.
Eight Vancouver Fire Department units were dispatched to the three-story split-level house. The rear deck was fully involved and flames had spread to the house, according to emergency scanner traffic monitored by The Columbian.
Fire crews mounted an offensive strategy, spraying water from the fire engine’s top-mounted water cannon at flows of 500 gallons per minute.
“They were able to apply a lot of water very quickly and helped extinguish a large body of fire while keeping the fire from spreading,” the fire department said in a press release.
The battle was complicated by the presence of ceiling heat in the house.
“This is a specific hazard to firefighters as ceiling heat uses wires in the ceiling panels to create radiant heat,” the fire department said. “These panels are heavy and can injure firefighters when they fall down. The wires can also entangle a firefighter.”
After roughly 10 minutes, the ceiling on the second floor had partially collapsed and additional units were called to respond. Power to the house was cut.
The fire was brought under control after about 20 minutes.
Two adults and a cat escaped the house safely. Red Cross was called in to assist.
Property records show the house was built in 1971 and roughly 2,000 square feet.
The official cause is under investigation, though initial radio traffic indicated the fire might have been caused by a barbecue on or near the deck.
A total of six engines, a ladder truck, two battalion chiefs, two training officers, a rehab bus, and a Vancouver fire marshal responded to the blaze, for a total of 28 personnel.
