A Vancouver man accused of setting his family’s house on fire Saturday in the Columbia River neighborhood is facing allegations of first-degree domestic violence arson and third-degree assault.
Jeffrey Dane Hill, 37, was scheduled to appear Monday morning in Clark County Superior Court, but a corrections deputy testified that Hill refused to come to a jail booth to attend the virtual hearing. His first appearance was set over to today.
Vancouver police and fire crews responded around 7:30 p.m. Saturday to the 14600 block of Southeast 36th Circle for reports of a house fire.
Hill’s parents told police they’d left the house about an hour earlier for their safety. They said Hill had been yelling, throwing things and lighting pieces of paper on fire. He refused to stop when they asked him to, court records state. Police wrote in a probable cause affidavit that Hill has a history of mental illness, including depression and bipolar disorder.
When Hill’s father came home, he saw smoke coming from the house, according to court records.
As firefighters began extinguishing the blaze, Hill was in a car in the driveway and did not reveal himself to police or fire crews, the affidavit states.
Hill allegedly later admitted to crisis negotiation officers that he started the fire. He refused to come out of the car, and police say he slammed the door on an officer’s shoulder, causing the officer pain and soreness, court records state.
Once police arrested Hill, they noticed his foot appeared to be burned, according to court records, and he had blood on his hands and legs. He was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for treatment.
The fire damage to the house is estimated to be several hundreds of thousands of dollars, court records state. The firefighting effort was hindered by an out-of-service fire hydrant near the house and a floor in the home’s entryway that gave way under firefighters, according to a Vancouver Fire Department statement. No firefighters were injured.
It took 25 firefighters nearly 70 minutes to get the fire under control, according to the statement. It said crews from the Vancouver Fire Department were assisted by one engine from the Camas-Washougal Fire Department.
