Motor home fire was illegal, owner will likely face fine

Firefighters dispatched to a motor home fire in the Cherry Grove area Monday night discovered the owner had purposely set ablaze his property and the items it contained.

Clark County Fire and Rescue firefighters responded to the structure fire in the 7900 block of Northeast 252nd Street shortly before 9 p.m., according to dispatch records. The address is northwest of Battle Ground.

A neighbor called in the fire; arriving firefighters found the motor home’s owner standing near the fire down a muddy driveway, watching it grow, said CCFR Capt. Jason Leavitt.

The owner told firefighters the motor home had been filled with trash and building materials, and he decided to get rid of his unneeded belongings by burning it to the ground, Leavitt said.

“He understood it was wrong and cooperated with us,” Leavitt said.

Firefighters maneuvered two engines down the property’s drive to extinguish the fire, and the owner helped ensure it was out by flipping what remained of the structure with a excavator, so its charred frame could be thoroughly doused.

The incident “was completely illegal,” Leavitt said. The owner will likely face a fine. The Clark County Fire Marshal will determine the amount.

Clark County residents are allowed to torch natural vegetation and other debris once they obtain the correct permits, and those burns have to happen during the day. Burning manufactured products, like motor homes, isn’t permitted, Leavitt said.