Houseboat ‘fire’ in Ridgefield draws crowd

A reported houseboat fire at the Ridgefield Marina prompted a heavy response from firefighters Monday morning.

Firefighters arrived on scene to discover the blaze was less of a fire and more of a minor electrical problem, said Battalion Chief Tim Dawdy, a spokesman with Clark County Fire & Rescue.

A fire was reported in a two-story houseboat at 5 W. Mill St. in Ridgefield just before 7:30 a.m.

Multiple engines and at least one fireboat responded, according to radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.

The large response was due to the fact that a houseboat fire would be difficult to fight, Dawdy said. Firefighters have to park engines a block or two away and walk equipment to the scene of the fire. The homes are close together, and on combustible platforms.

“It’s a much more complicated thing and that’s why we had such a rigourous response,” Dawdy said.