No one was hurt, but a family was displaced when a fire ripped through a home in the Lincoln neighborhood.
Multiple people called 911 just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a house fully engulfed in flames at 1105 W. 36th St. It was one of two fires in west Vancouver on Tuesday.
Vancouver Fire Department spokesman Darrin Deming said firefighters could see a thick column of smoke on their way to the fire.
“When they arrived they found a heavily involved exterior fire on the side of the house,” he said.
Firefighters hosed down the exterior, then moved inside to deal with flames that had extended into home’s kitchen and living room. Inside, they rescued the family’s dog, a Chihuahua.
Firefighters had the flames largely knocked down within about 10 minutes, but the house was heavily damaged. The initial firefighting response took about a half-hour, Deming said, but firefighters were on scene through the afternoon mopping up.
Amanda Shelton, one of the residents, said she had just gotten out of the shower when, as she turned from one room to another, she saw a fire on the home’s porch.
“At the same time, the neighbor starts banging on the door,” she said.
Shelton, her brother, her mother and her young son ran from the house.
It appeared the fire started on or around the porch, she said. The heat from the flames appeared to have warped the siding on a neighboring house.
Jeremy Shelton, standing outside the house, said it looked like the flames got into his attic bedroom.
“Woke up to my mom yelling at me, saying, ‘Fire!’ ” he said. He then grabbed his cat and ran.
Their pets got out of the house unhurt, they said.
Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said the fire, which started on the porch, was unintentional. While it was likely caused by an electrical fault or a discarded cigarette, the cause is undetermined, she said.
The fire displaced three adults and a child, and it appeared one cat was still unaccounted for, she said Tuesday evening. She said the fire did about $75,000 worth of damage to the structure and its contents.
The American Red Cross said it responded to help with temporary housing and basic needs for the family and their pets.
Officials closed both 36th Street and Lincoln Avenue as firefighters responded.
