Smoke, fire causes major damage to West Hazel Dell home

A vintage home in the West Hazel Dell neighborhood suffered significant smoke, fire and other structural damage Thursday morning.

The home is at 6914 N.W. Anderson Ave., several blocks west of Hazel Dell Elementary School. Fire District 6 and Vancouver firefighters are on the scene.

The firefighters were called about 9:25 a.m. and arrived to find heavy smoke building in the basement of the home, which was built in 1916 and remodeled in 1945.

Two women were home at the time and escaped before firefighters arrived. One woman told firefighters she saw smoke coming from a vent and heard a noise in the basement, said Dawn Johnson, a spokeswoman for Fire District 6. The basement is apparently full of paper.

Though the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, an initial report was the furnace may have malfunctioned.

As firefighters assessed the situation, heavy brown smoke, described as pressurized, continued to build. The pressure and heat broke at least one basement window. The fire was declared under control at 9:50 a.m.

Three District 6 engines and a rescue rig, along with one engine and one ladder truck from Vancouver are on the scene. In all 17 firefighters are working the fire.

County property records show the house is owned by Rod Wambold and Marnie Pharis.