Firefighters extinguish one-acre blaze underneath I-205 Bridge

Eight Vancouver firefighters responded to a brush fire beneath the Interstate 205 Bridge about 2:30 p.m. Monday.

There was no damage to any properties, as the nearest house was about 80 yards away, said Firefighter Jim Flaherty.

He said neighbors called after seeing flames three-to-five feet tall in blackberries under the west edge of the bridge. The fire covered about 1 acre, Flaherty said.

Arriving within 12 minutes, the firefighters had the blaze controlled in about 10 minutes.

Flaherty said the fire was caused by a contractor doing work on joints on the I-205 bridge. A worker allowed something hot to drop into the brush, Flaherty said. He added the firm has agreed to have water on the site and a person watching below.

The firefighters were from the Cascade Park and Pacific Park stations.

Flaherty said brush fires are a danger again this summer.

“We’re starting to make the turn from the wet spring we had,” he said. “The fine fuels are starting to dry out.”