Woman dead in shop fire north of Ridgefield; fire marshal investigating

A woman was found dead after a large shop fire Monday morning north of Ridgefield.

Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue responded at 7:03 a.m. to the fire in the 29400 block of Northwest 51st Avenue, a rural road east of the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge.

Crews arrived to find a roughly 40-by-80-foot shop engulfed in flames, according to Fire Chief John Nohr.

Bystanders told firefighters that someone might still be inside. Nohr said people live in a recreational vehicle next to the shop, but there was a room inside the shop they spend time in.

Another resident arrived shortly after firefighters, and the person tried to go inside. Firefighters had to restrain the person due to the risk of going inside without protective gear, according to a fire agency news release. Crews also released chickens from a chicken coop as the fire spread near there.

Firefighters got the fire knocked down by around 8:30 a.m. Officials were then able to go inside the building, where they found the woman dead inside, the news release states.

Clark County Deputy Fire Marshal Rick Searls said the woman was the only person inside the shop at the time of the fire.

Officials have not yet released the woman’s identity.

The shop, nearby RV and a car were destroyed in the fire, Nohr said.

The fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire.

Four fire engines, one ladder truck and three water tenders responded. Fire crews are expected to be on scene until about 3 p.m. to fully extinguish the flames, the news release states.

An elderly resident of the house on the property suffered a medical emergency during the fire response, and he was taken to an area hospital via ambulance. Nohr said the man’s medical condition was not related to burns from the fire itself.