Auto accident sparks brush, car fire near Frenchman’s Bar

A driver and her passenger escaped without injury after colliding with a power pole Saturday — an accident that emergency officials said knocked down power lines and triggered two fires.

The incident was reported at 6:27 p.m. in the 8800 block of Northwest Lower River Road. When Vancouver firefighters arrived 10 minutes later, they found the car on fire.

Two women got out of the car before fire engines arrived, said spokesman Kevin Stromberg, Vancouver firefighter/paramedic.

“No injuries were reported, and they were not transported,” he said. “Along with the fully involved car fire, there was a grass fire — 40 feet by 200 feet — along the road.

“Any time a power line is on the ground, the first concern is safety from electrical hazards,” he said.

While a crew from Clark Public Utilities was sent to turn off the power, “we were able to fight the grass fire from a distance,” Stromberg said.

Twenty customers lost power because of the accident, according to a Clark Public Utilities website.

Vancouver police officers are investigating the traffic accident, Stromberg said.