Accidental fire causes $100,000 in damage to Vancouver house

A fire lit in a defective fireplace caused $100,000 in damage to a Vancouver house Saturday morning.

Vancouver Fire Department responded to the fire at 7600 N.E. 128th Ave. at 6:11 a.m. When firefighters arrived five minutes later, the fire had reached the roof, with flames surrounding the chimney, Capt. Chris Moen said.

Three adults were living in a travel trailer on the property. None of them claimed to be living in the house, Moen said. However, one of the adults went inside the house to warm up and started a fire in the fireplace.

Heat from the fire ignited framing around the fireplace. From there, the flames climbed the walls to the roof, Moen said.

The fire was deemed an accident. No one was injured.

The parents of one of the adults own the house, Moen said. The homeowner is Randy Mason, according to county property records.

The house was fully furnished but had no water or electricity, Moen said. It’s unclear if anybody had been living in it, he said. The fire caused about $40,000 in damage to possessions inside.

Firefighters had the blaze under control by 6:29 a.m.