Vancouver firefighters were on the scene of a laundry room fire at a Vancouver apartment complex early this morning.
The fire was reported shortly after 5 a.m. at the Hill Villa apartment complex, 801 N. Garrison Road.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from a laundry room on the north side of a four-unit complex. They knocked the fire down quickly, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian, before it could extend throughout the attic.
The fire was under control at 5:56 a.m.
Vancouver Fire Capt. Chris Moen said an attic access scuttle was left open and firefighters aggressively focused on the area to make sure the fire didn’t spread.
As residents put holiday decorations away, Moen said it’s important to keep scuttles closed. “For folks, especially right now, make sure those are closed because those can much more easily transfer smoke and fire to rest of the house and make it a lot worse,” Moen said.
The residents in one apartment that is attached to the laundromat may be displaced. The unit incurred damage as fire crews tore out some of the adjoining roof to make sure the fire wasn’t in the attic.
In total, 23 firefighters responded. Damage was estimated at $30,000. The fire is believed to be accidental, but the cause remained undetermined Wednesday night.
The Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.
