Hot-burning lamp bulb caused $475,000 fire, official says

A hot-burning floor-lamp bulb that made contact with a curtain is believed to have started a fire Tuesday morning that tore through a home in east Clark County north of Washougal, according to fire officials.

Damage to the home and its contents was estimated at $475,000, Clark County Deputy Fire Marshal Susan Anderson said late Tuesday afternoon.

The blaze originated in a downstairs bedroom and then spread to the attic, complicating efforts to extinguish it, said Larry Larimer, a battalion chief with the Camas Fire Department.

Shortly after 9 a.m., crews arrived at 7303 N.E. 317th Place, near Livingston Mountain and several miles north of Washougal. They found tall flames spilling out the windows of the multistory dwelling. The front deck was fully engulfed, and flames burned throughout the attic.

The homeowner, who was believed to have been inside when the fire ignited, escaped without injuries, said East County Fire & Rescue Chief Dean Thornberry.

Firefighters from East County, along with the Camas, Washougal and Vancouver fire departments, gained control of the fire at about 10:30 a.m. Thornberry said he left the scene at about 1:30 p.m.

“It’s still standing, but most of the interior is in pretty bad shape,” he said; he believes the home is insured.

In Tuesday’s fire, a lightweight curtain somehow draped over the lamp and the bulb ignited it, Anderson said.

Some halogen torchiere bulbs burn at 700 to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and have caused many fires, according to Energy Star, a program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

However, torchiere bulbs with Energy Star labels look the same, provide the same amount of light and burn at only 100 to 250 degrees. They also save energy, estimated at about $300 over the lifetime of the fixture, according to www.energystar.gov.

The large home had no fire sprinkler system, said Anderson, adding, “That would have made a huge difference in limiting the fire damage.”

According to Clark County property records, the home is owned by Eric and Jeanette Rafferty.