Small fire extinguished under Red Lion at the Quay

A discarded cigarette sparked a fire just before noon today, damaging a wooden piling under the Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay’s restaurant before firefighters were able to reach the flames.

The fire caused an estimated $500 damage to the property, which is owned by the Port of Vancouver, said city Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire before it spread to the structure, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.

The fire was reported at 11:53 a.m. at the hotel, 100 Columbia Street. Part of the hotel, which includes a restaurant and banquet space, is built on pilings in the Columbia River.

This isn’t the first time the pilings have caught fire. In 2012, a pilings fire was also blamed on carelessly discarded cigarettes. A fire marshal will investigate today’s blaze.

Though the area is tough to access from the shore, Vancouver firefighters were able to get to the fire on a catwalk and used water extinguishers to knock down the flames, according to Battalion Chief Kevin Griffee.

The fire was about 15 feet back from the edge of the quay, Griffee said.

The hotel complex, a Vancouver landmark, is owned by the Port of Vancouver and operated by Spokane-based Red Lion Hotels.