Fire, water damage Vancouver home

A Vancouver home was damaged Friday afternoon after fire sparked in a wall behind the laundry room.

Firefighters were dispatched to a single-story home with a basement, 807 S.E. 97th Ave., at 2:24 p.m., where arriving crews found light smoke, said Vancouver Fire Department Battalion Chief Dave Seabrook. They discovered fire in a wall behind the laundry room on the ground floor and extinguished the fire before it spread to the house.

The fire damaged the wall and severed a water line, causing water damage to the first floor and basement.

Luckily, Seabrook said, the house has working smoke alarms that alerted the occupants about the fire. Everyone, including the pets, was able to get out safely.

In total, 15 personnel from the Vancouver Fire Department responded to the fire. Southeast 97th Avenue was blocked while crews worked at the residence.

So far, the cause is unknown, but an electrical fire is considered a potential cause, Seabrook said. The Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.