Firefighters rescued three pets — a dog, guinea pig and large lizard — from a Woodland house fire Wednesday afternoon that started in the kitchen.
Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue was dispatched at 2:08 p.m. to a report of a kitchen fire at 766 Hoffman St. Engine 29 arrived within six minutes to find two people in the front yard and smoke coming from the front door and windows, according to an agency news release.
Firefighters stretched a hose line and knocked down a fire that engulfed the stovetop and kitchen cabinets. The fire had also spread to the adjacent living room, the news release states. The fire was brought under control within five minutes.
The fire started when one of the residents was cooking fried chicken. She stepped away from the kitchen to speak briefly with another resident in a different part of the house. When she returned, the “kitchen was a complete ball of red fire,” the news release said.
She stepped outside to call 911, and the other resident ran door-to-door asking neighbors for a fire extinguisher. He then went back inside the house and tried to extinguish the fire and locate three pets. However, he was forced to retreat by high heat and thick smoke, according to the agency. He was evaluated on scene by AMR personnel for smoke inhalation and declined further treatment.
The residents alerted firefighters that there were three pets inside the house, possibly in a back bedroom. Firefighters entered the bedroom and passed a large dog, named Dexter, a guinea pig, named Princess, and a large lizard to firefighters outside, the news release said.
Due to heavy smoke throughout the house, firefighters did not want to expose the pets to more smoke than had already occurred, the agency said.
Once the pets were rescued and the fire knocked down, firefighters worked to fully extinguish and overhaul the kitchen and living room. Firefighters were on scene until 3:35 p.m. overhauling the fire, the news release states.
There were no working smoke alarms in the house, the agency said.
“Working smoke alarms would have alerted the occupants when it was still a small fire that could have easily been controlled with a fire extinguisher,” Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue Fire Marshal Mike Jackson said in the news release.
Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue reminds people to not go back inside a burning structure once you have made it out safely.
“We are fortunate today that the occupant was not injured or worse, killed. Firefighters have the training, equipment and protective gear to enter a burning building,” Fire Chief John Nohr said in the news release. “If you tell our firefighters who, including pets, is inside and where they were last seen, we will make every effort to get in there and rescue them.
“I have been on too many fires where people went back inside for a pet and didn’t make it back out.”
Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue was assisted by a unit from Cowlitz County Fire District 1 and Clark County Fire District 6. Four engines, one ladder truck and five chief officers, for a total of 22 personnel, responded.
