Attic fire damages house in Vancouver

A stray cigarette sparked a fire that damaged a home Tuesday in the Five Corners area, according to the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office.

Firefighters received a report of a house fire just after noon Tuesday at 6305 N.E. 101st Court, just north of Northeast 63rd Street.

They arrived to find the one-story home’s attic on fire, and had the fire under control at about 12:25 p.m., according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian. No one was hurt.

Deputy Fire Marshal Susan Anderson said an investigation found a cigarette sparked a fire in patio furniture on the home’s back patio, and the fire then spread up the building’s siding and into the attic vents.

The fire did substantial damage to the attic and the home’s ceiling, leaving the home uninhabitable, she said. She added that the fire likely did about $50,000 in damage to the structure. The fire mostly spared the home’s contents, she said, but not before doing about $15,000 in damage.

Anderson reminded people to dispose of cigarette butts safely, ideally in metal containers filled with water or sand.