Seven people, between two units, were displaced in a duplex fire Monday in Vancouver’s Lincoln neighborhood.
Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said Friday the fire was found to be accidental and caused by an electrical failure or malfunction of the electrical panel. The fire started in Unit 1144 but affected the attached unit.
Two firefighters were injured while battling the blaze. Their injuries were not life-threatening, according to the Vancouver Fire Department.
The fire was reported shortly before 3 p.m. at the Logan’s Court duplexes in the 1100 block of West 36th Street, according to emergency dispatch records.
The first arriving engine found smoke coming from the front of one of the units, department spokesman Joe Spatz said. Three crews from the fire department and three crews from Clark County Fire District 6 responded.
All of the duplexes’s residents were outside when crews arrived.
Firefighters entered the home and found fire had spread into the attic. They cut holes in the ceiling to pump water onto the fire, according to the spokesman.
The ceiling, which had ceiling heat, collapsed when firefighters were inside the duplex, falling on one of the crew members. They pulled out and fought the fire from outside at that point. (Additional information on the other injured firefighter was unavailable.)
It took about 50 minutes to get the fire under control.
Scarpelli said the property and contents loss was estimated to be $144,130.
