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Rash of blazes due to combating cold

Three fires reported in an hour quickly extinguished

By Bob Albrecht
Published: February 27, 2011, 12:00am

The Vancouver Fire Department was called to three reports of structure fires in an hour Saturday, two of which were the result of heating units turned on to combat cold weather.

A fire in a chimney spread to an exterior wall at home at 2708 N.E. 58th St. at 2:41 p.m. There was no smoke in the house but three crews, two from Vancouver Fire Department and another from Clark County Fire District 6, had to pull apart some of the siding to put out the fire.

“It was labor intensive,” said Vancouver Fire Capt. Kevin Murray of the effort to make sure the fire wasn’t smoldering in some unseen part of the structure.

The home was briefly evacuated.

All three fires occurred between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Firefighters were first dispatched to Covington Commons, 9703 N.E. Covington Road, where a fire started by food burning on a stove extended into a nearby crawl space. Flames were visible from outside through a vent.

Murray said the fire was quickly controlled and there was little damage.

The final call was to a home at 3604 N.E. 149th Ave. There a space heater was sending out smoke. Firefighters were en route when they were waved off because the issue had already been remedied.

“It was more of an electrical issue,” Murray said.

Investigators on Saturday were still trying to determine the cause of a large fire at a rented home Friday in Fisher’s Landing, Murray said.

A passerby knocked on the door of the home, 17413 N.E. Third St., and alerted the residents it was on fire at about 10:28 p.m. Firefighters arrived at 10:35 p.m.

No one was injured. The family’s pets — four cats, dog, two lizards, frog and fish — were also rescued.

A damage estimate was not available. Murray said the two adults and two children who live at the home would be at least temporarily displaced.

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