Woman, son displaced by house fire in Rose Village

A fire trapped inside the walls of a Rose Village neighborhood home forced the evacuation early Tuesday of a woman and her son.

The fire originated near the wood stove of the home at 3615 Q St. and spread through the molding and into the wall. Firefighters were dispatched to the home at 7:22 a.m. and arrived 12 minutes later.

They saw smoke coming out of the attic and quickly zeroed in on the wall, said Capt. David James of the Vancouver Fire Department. James said the fire was under control at 7:51 a.m.

The residents will be staying with relatives in the area, James said. Firefighters remained on the scene after the fire was put out to ensure it didn’t reignite.

The preliminary damage estimate was $60,000 to the structure and $15,000 to contents. The residents do not have renter’s insurance.

An investigator with the Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office told James the fire likely could have been prevented if the chimney had been cleaned and inspected within the last year.

The home is owned by Robert and Ruth Ankenbauer.

Names of the occupants were not available.