A house fire in the Sunnyside neighborhood Sunday morning was likely caused by an unattended candle.
Assistant Clark County Fire Marshal Curtis Eavenson said the probable cause of the fire at 11034 N.E. 94th Ave. was the candle igniting a combustible surface.
“A smoke detector alerted the occupants to the fire and saved their lives,” Eavenson said.
The fire resulted in up to $90,000 of damage to the home and its contents, according to the fire marshal. He cautioned that candles should not be left alone and encouraged regularly checking smoke alarms.
Vancouver firefighters were dispatched to the fire after a resident called 911 at 4:40 a.m. Sunday and said the second story of her house was on fire, according to a news release from the Vancouver Fire Department.
Fire crews arrived seven minutes later and found smoke coming from the windows on the second floor of an attached structure to a large rural house. Due to limited access to a fire hydrant, a water tender apparatus that carries 1,800 gallons was dispatched to the home.
Crews stretched a “fire attack hand line” through the front door and up to the second story, where they had no visibility because of the smoke. They knocked down the fire within minutes and then sprayed water out of a window to “hydraulically ventilate” the space and improve visibility, according to the news release.
