When folks heard a loud explosion and called 911 on Monday night, an outside wall of a home was in flames, from the foundation to the roof.
But an alert neighbor from across the street, and a man who lives in the burning home, grabbed hoses and doused the flames before firefighters arrived, said Capt. Chris Moen with the Vancouver Fire Department.
At 8:05 p.m. Monday, firefighters were called to 15711 N.E. 12th St. Crews arrived quickly from the nearby fire station at 1501 N.E. 164th Ave., north of Fisher’s Landing.
Several people had heard an explosion, of what turned out to be a small propane cylinder like those used for lanterns, Moen said.
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The explosion was caused by improperly discarded smoking material outside the home, which ignited tree needles and leaves and overheated the propane cylinder.
“It exploded violently,” Moen said. “The remnants looked like a flat piece of sheet metal.”
With the side of the house in flames high and low, a man who lives across the street knocked on the burning home’s door and grabbed a hose from the front yard. A man who owns the burning home grabbed another hose from the back yard.
Together, the men doused the flames before firefighters arrived, Moen said.
Firefighters went inside and checked for hot spots, including in the attic, but none were found.
Damage was estimated at $12,000 and no one was reported injured, Moen said.
