UPDATE: Another fatal fire claims woman trapped in attic

In the third horrific fire in six days, crews rushed to a house in Vancouver’s Harney Heights neighborhood Tuesday morning after a woman called 911 to say she was trapped in her burning attic, which had been converted into a living space.

Firefighters cut a 4-by-4-foot hole in the roof, carried Debra K. Vanderley, 48, out through the hole and rushed her to Southwest Washington Medical Center.

But Vanderley later died of her injuries, Capt. Chris Moen with the Vancouver Fire Department said late Tuesday afternoon.

The fire was reported at 11:14 a.m. at a split-level house at 4505 E. 15th St., according to firefighters. The caller told dispatchers she was trapped in the attic.

Fire crews arrived in seven minutes to find flames and smoke in the attic.

Firefighters inside the house accessed the attic through the scuttle, the ceiling hatch, and were able to see where Vanderley was, said fire Capt. Dave James.

“They were able to see her prior to cutting the hole in the roof,” James said.

Using a chain saw, firefighters cut the large hole near Vanderley’s location. Meanwhile, firefighters in the scuttle used their hoses to douse the flames.

Firefighters pulled Vanderley out through the roof hole, down a ladder and into an AMR Northwest ambulance, where paramedics began treating her at the scene. At least one firefighter rode in the ambulance to help AMR paramedics perform life support treatment on the way to the medical center.

The fire was declared under control at 11:57 a.m.

The fire was unintentional and caused by electrical failure. Fire officials were not more specific.

The house is owned by Fred Duvall, according to county property records. He was not in the house at the time of the fire.

“The house is standing,” Moen said Tuesday afternoon. “The fire was contained to the attic.”

Efforts to fight the blaze were hampered by a large volume of items being stored in the attic space.

Because of their training, detectives with the Vancouver Fire Arson Team are investigating; however, the fire wasn’t considered arson, Moen said.

3 major fires in 6 days

The string of fires began about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, when more than 50 firefighters were called to a stubborn, three-alarm blaze in building F of the Rolling Creek Apartments, 7201 N.E. 13th Ave. in Hazel Dell.

The blaze was flaming in the older building’s common attic and through the roof on the north side. Firefighters tried going inside but, because of the danger of roof collapse, they were ordered to douse the flames from outside only. The fire took three hours to control.

Two people, including a Fire District 6 firefighter, suffered minor injuries, officials said.

In the end, 56 people were displaced from their homes in 24 apartments. The building, which had no sprinkler system, was heavily damaged and beyond repair, a fire official said.

Tuesday afternoon, Clark County Fire Marshal Jon Dunaway- said the cause of the Rolling Creek fire had not been determined. Assistant Fire Marshal Richard Martin and Deputy Fire Marshal Ken Hill were at the scene Tuesday, as were insurance investigators.

Investigators do know that the fire started downstairs in the second unit from the north end, and they still believe it was accidental, Dunaway said.

Vancouver’s deadliest fire in a half century killed at least six people very early Sunday at 15304 N.E. 13th Circle, west of 162nd Avenue.

That fire has been considered an arson from the beginning and is being investigated by the Vancouver Fire Arson Team and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said officials don’t think the arsonist is at large. Asked if that means a father who lived there set the fire, and perished himself, Kapp said she couldn’t comment.

Kapp said investigators finished- collecting evidence Monday and had submitted it to a lab for analysis, but the cause hasn’t been released. The Clark County Medical Examiner had not yet conducted all the autopsies Tuesday, Kapp said, and officials had not released names of the victims.

There’s no reason to believe the three fires are connected, several officials said.

The Vancouver Fire Department was the primary fire agency on the second and third fires, and Vancouver fire crews assisted Clark County Fire District 6 with the Rolling Creek fire in Hazel Dell.

“We’re hanging in there just fine,” Moen said. “It’s deeply saddening to see anyone hurt or killed.”