Winds fan spread of brush fire near Larch

Winds caused a brush fire to jump the roadway west of Larch Corrections Center on Wednesday night.

Crews from Clark County Fire District 3 were called to the fire near the intersection of L1400 and L1410, just west of the prison, just after 7 p.m.

The fire started on the south side of the road, but 15 mph winds helped the fire jump the road and spread to the north, giving crews two smaller blazes to battle, said Capt. Larry Bauska.

Fire District 3, with the help of Vancouver Fire Department and Department of National Resources, put out the blaze in less than 45 minutes, Bauska said.

Firefighters stayed on scene for several hours doing overhaul and mopping up the scene.

The fire totaled about a quarter acre, said Tom North, DNR fire unit manager for Clark and Skamania county. He said that the fire was human caused, but he didn’t have more details on how it started, saying that the investigation is ongoing.