Portable electric heaters overloaded the wiring in a Camas rental home early Saturday, sparking a fire that damaged the residence, according to a bulletin from the Camas/Washougal Fire Department.
The fire was reported at 1:33 a.m. at 305 N.W. 12th Ave. in Camas after someone awake in the house noticed the smell of smoke and that the lights weren’t working. Four people, ranging in age from 2 to 24, evacuated.
The fire was found in a main floor bedroom wall extending to the second floor, and firefighters were able to significantly limit the fire damage, the bulletin said.
A fire marshal discovered that because the house did not have a source of heat, the renters plugged in multiple electric heaters, which overloaded the old knob-and-tube wiring, causing it to fail and start the fire.