Similar morning fires damage two Vancouver houses

Two Vancouver houses were damaged in blazes that firefighters said played out similarly Tuesday morning.

Crews were first called to the 7200 block of Indiana Street at about 1:30 a.m. and arriving firefighters saw a fully involved garage fire at the single-story house, Vancouver Fire Department Firefighter Joe Spatz said.

The fire had extended into the attic and crews used hoses to attack the fire with water from the outside, he said. They remained on scene for about three hours doing overhaul and making sure all the hotspots were out.

Seven people were displaced by the fire, which caused an estimated $310,784 in damage to the structure and contents, Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said. The American Red Cross assisted those displaced with temporary residence and other amenities.

A heater in the garage was kept too close to combustibles, sparking the blaze that damaged a motorcycle before continuing on to the house, Scarpelli said.

Shortly after firefighters finishing up at that scene, they were called to a house fire at 6711 N.E. Par Lane which they learned was an abandoned house.

That blaze, reported at about 5:45 a.m., was nearly an identical scene: a garage fire that had spread to the second floor and the attic, Spatz said.

Crews quickly knocked down the blaze, getting the fire mostly under control in about 15 minutes, Spatz said. The fire in the attic, however, was stubborn and took another half an hour to get the hot spots knocked out, he said.

The Clark County Fire Marshals Office is investigating the cause of that fire.