Woman, 8 dogs escape Rose Village house fire
Eight dogs were rescued during a Monday morning house fire at 1105 E. 29th St. in Vancouver. New recruit Jake Britt assists animal control with removing the dogs from a car, where they were placed for safety reasons. It was Britt's first shift as a Vancouver firefighter, after recently completing the firefighter recruit academy.
Originally published December 3, 2012 at 6:51 a.m., updated December 3, 2012 at 8:56 p.m.
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A Vancouver woman and eight dogs escaped a house fire in the Rose Village neighborhood early Monday.
The fire was reported around 4:45 a.m. at 1105 E. 29th St., according to emergency dispatch logs.
Firefighters with the Vancouver Fire Department and Clark County Fire District 6 responded.
Jack Watts, who lives across the street, said he woke to a woman screaming and saying her house was on fire. He went across the street to help and ended up getting seven of eight dogs out of the house before firefighters arrived.
Capt. Kevin Murray, VFD spokesman, said firefighters arrived, learned the woman had escaped the house uninjured and started working to control the fire. The two-story house had a lot of things inside it, forcing firefighters to battle flames from outside, he said. Crews cut holes in the roof and walls and got the fire under control within 20 minutes.
Firefighters found the missing dog alive inside the house later in the morning, said Capt. Scott Willis, another VFD spokesman. One pet bird was found dead inside the house, he said.
Damage to the house was extensive, Murray said. The American Red Cross of Southwest Washington is assisting the woman.
A cause was not yet known Monday.
The house is owned by Richard Klages and Pamela Kelly, according to Clark County property records.
