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Vancouver apartment complex tenant helps rescue others from fire

He caught man who jumped from second story, more

By Emily Gillespie, Columbian Breaking News Reporter
Published: December 12, 2016, 8:51pm
3 Photos
Rex Donaldson of Vancouver stands Monday at the scene of an apartment fire that occurred over the weekend at the Fort Vancouver Terrace Apartments.
Rex Donaldson of Vancouver stands Monday at the scene of an apartment fire that occurred over the weekend at the Fort Vancouver Terrace Apartments. (Photos by Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Rex Donaldson and his family had just eaten dinner and were out walking their Chihuahua, Gunner, a few minutes before 7 p.m. Saturday when his wife said she smelled smoke.

Donaldson, a 30-year-old Army veteran, looked up and saw that the sky was illuminated near their apartment complex, Fort Vancouver Terrace Apartments, 4710 Plomondon St. in Vancouver.

“Fire!” his wife yelled.

Donaldson ran back to their apartment and grabbed his phone. He quickly dialed 911, threw the phone to his wife and ran toward the flames.

“I don’t know what made me run toward the scene. I just felt like it needed to be done,” he said. “There was no cops, no fire department; there was nothing there but burning building and people screaming.”

Donaldson arrived at the burning apartment and smashed out a window. With the help of another man, whom he knew only  as Alex, Donaldson pulled a man out of the bottom unit through the window.

He smashed out a window to another unit and yelled inside to see if anyone was there. He didn’t hear a response, though later learned that a woman had been taking a shower and was rescued by police.

Donaldson then ran to as many apartment units as he could, pounding on doors and yelling at people to leave. He tried to scale the stairs, but his wife yelled at him to stop because the flames had already crept in on them.

Then, Donaldson heard from a man on the second floor.

“He said he opened his door and flames just took over. He came to his window, and I told him to jump,” Donaldson said. “I remember (him) saying, ‘I can’t jump.’ ”

Donaldson said he didn’t know what other option they had. He had already witnessed the fast-moving flames devour the stairwell.

“I said, ‘It’s jump or die. You have to jump. I can’t help you unless you jump,’ ” Donaldson said. “It was really scary.”

So with Donaldson standing underneath him, Phil Underwood jumped. Donaldson held out his arm to cradle Underwood’s head, and the two did a tuck-and-roll move before Donaldson led Underwood away from the flames.

Fire officials said that another person reportedly jumped from the second floor, and police and fire officials helped pull several first-story residents away from the blaze. Even though several people had to be rescued from the fire, officials said that no one was injured.

“I got some bumps and scrapes, but nothing I can’t handle,” Donaldson said. “You got to do what you got to do when people are in trouble. … I don’t feel like I did anything more than anybody else would do.”

Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said that the fire caused an estimated $250,000 in damage to two upstairs and two downstairs units of the complex, which is in the Bagley Downs neighborhood. As of Monday, it is unknown exactly how many people were displaced.

Investigators said the fire started outside of the building, but they are following up on leads to determine what exactly sparked the blaze and whether it was intentionally set.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call Lead Deputy Fire Marshal Chad Lawry at 360-487-7237.

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Columbian Breaking News Reporter