Fire caused $300,000 damage in destroying home north of Washougal

A Wednesday afternoon fire north of Washougal caused $300,000 damage to a home and its contents, according to the Clark County Fire Marshal’s office.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, said Clark County Deputy Fire Marshal Richard Martin.

“I’m still doing interviews, working on some loose ends,” Martin said Friday.

Staff and volunteers with East County Fire & Rescue rushed to 530 S.E. Blair Road in Washougal at 3:25 p.m. Wednesday.

They found the house fully engulfed and battled it from the outside.

By 5 p.m., Fire Chief Scott Koehler, the incident commander, radioed to firefighters a warning that they were getting tired, the building couldn’t be saved and was collapsing — and to “be careful.”

When Martin arrived at dusk, the destroyed structure was still unsafe to enter. A car parked outside the house had been destroyed by heat from the blaze.

The nearest house to the downed structure is about 100 yards away.

The property, owned by Jon and Billinda Jantzer. is assessed at about $355,000, with the house assessed at about $224,000, according to county records.