Woman believed dead in Ridgefield house fire

A woman is believed dead after an early morning house fire in Ridgefield on Wednesday, according to Clark County Fire & Rescue.

John Nohr, Clark County Fire & Rescue chief, said Clark County Public Works brought a tractor to the scene to help sift through the wreckage, and fire crews recovered a body inside. Officials have not identified the victim.

A fire engine was dispatched at 3:53 a.m. to a report of a fire at 29305 N.W. 41st Ave. While en route, other callers reported a house burning rapidly at a rural property.

Multiple crews were directed to the home, including help from Clark County Fire District 6, Vancouver Fire Department and Cowlitz Fire District 1.

The first engine arrived to find a man lying on the ground. He had lept from a second-story window to escape the fire. He suffered a leg injury, Nohr said.

The man reported that someone else was still inside the home — a woman had gone back in to rescue dogs, the chief said.

Although the fire had engulfed the home, firefighters used a ladder to enter its second story and searched two rooms and a hallway, but they could not find anyone inside.

“It’s very dangerous for us to do that, but we felt it was necessary based on what we learned,” Nohr said.

When no victim could be found, firefighters exited the home and began dousing the fire with water from water tenders. There are no fire hydrants near the property, Nohr said.

The chief said the use of tenders did not slow the response, but the fire took about an hour to extinguish. He described the home as having a brick front end with an addition built onto its backside. The brick is still standing, but the back burned away, he said.

Two dogs escaped the fire, but another died.

A third person, a 19-year-old man, also escaped the home unharmed.

The man who jumped from the window was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, according to Nohr.

The home had working smoke detectors, Nohr said. He cautioned anyone from re-entering burning structures to save animals or belongings.

Around 9:30 a.m., multiple emergency responders remained at the scene. Yellow fire scene tape cordoned off the burnt, destroyed home. Ash and blackened wood smoldered at its end opposite the avenue; a destroyed pickup truck was parked near the structure.

Family members and neighbors stood at a distance consoling one another.

The Clark County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.