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Fire strikes Vancouver apartment complex

Residents leap to safety from second floor; police rescue two others

By Mark Bowder, Columbian Metro Editor
Published: December 10, 2016, 7:14pm

Two people leapt for safety from the second story of a burning apartment building Saturday as Vancouver police officers rescued two others from a downstairs unit, according to the Vancouver Fire Department.

The fire was reported at about 6:50 p.m. at Fort Vancouver Terrace Apartments, 4710 Plomondon St., in Vancouver’s Bagley Downs neighborhood, according to emergency radio traffic. Multiple callers reported that one of the buildings in the complex was on fire and that someone had jumped from the building.

The first firefighters arriving on the scene saw flames venting from the roof of the apartment building and blocking the primary escape route to four apartment units, said firefighter-paramedic Darrin Deming.

“There was fire engulfing the entire breezeway of four units,” Deming said. “We pulled a hose line and knocked down that fire, then continued interior to continue the fire attack and conduct an initial search for victims.”

Deming said firefighters were assisted by Vancouver police officers, who were able to rescue two people through the backside of a ground floor apartment.

Emergency medical personnel examined the two rescued from the apartment, as well as one person who jumped from a second-story window and another who jumped from a second-story porch roof. None of them were injured.

Deming said 30 firefighters battled the blaze for about 30 minutes before bringing it under control. The fire burned so hot in the breezeway between apartments that it burned through the floor of the building’s second-story landing.

The fire most heavily damaged four units in the 12-unit building, with limited damage due to fire control operations to four others, according to Deming. He said at least four families were displaced by the fire, though the number could rise to 12 after utility workers cut power to the entire building.

The Red Cross was called in to provide assistance, Deming said.

It was not immediately known where the fire originated or how it was caused, Deming said. The Fire Marshal’s Office has been called into investigate.

Deming said that though the cause of this fire has yet to be determined, the department encourages residents to be mindful of fire safety during the holiday season with trees, candles and lights.

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Columbian Metro Editor