Vancouver police confirmed Monday that a fire Saturday afternoon on the roof of Shanahan’s Pub & Grill in downtown Vancouver is being investigated as an arson.
“It appears someone got onto the roof and set a fire,” Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in an email.
Vancouver Fire Department crews were dispatched at 2:06 p.m. to 209 W. McLoughlin Blvd., for a report of a commercial structure fire.
The first engine arrived at the business within three minute, department spokesman and firefighter Joe Hudson said Monday. By then, everyone inside the building had evacuated, he said.
There was no fire visible from the ground, but the original 911 caller told dispatchers that it was on the building’s roof, Hudson said.
Firefighters climbed onto the roof and found smoldering materials. They used a fire extinguisher on the materials; no water was needed as the flames had mostly died out, according to the spokesman.
Crews stayed on scene for about two hours. They checked for damage on the inside of the building, but the fire hadn’t spread beyond the roof, Hudson said.
A total of five fire apparatus responded. Police and a Vancouver fire marshal were called to the scene to investigate due to reports of suspicious activity from witnesses, according to Hudson.
On its Facebook page, Shanahan’s said someone intentionally set fire to the roof after climbing onto a neighboring business’s roof. No one was hurt, and the damage can be fixed.
