Update: The cause of the fire has been established, and authorities think the injured woman will survive:
https://www.columbian.com/news/2018/nov/03/electrical-adapter-blamed-for-friday-fire-that-killed-dogs/
Original story:
Three neighbors are credited with rescuing a woman from a burning home in Vancouver’s Rose Village neighborhood Friday afternoon.
One neighbor, Chris Elam, 34, said he was working on his home when he and another neighbor, Kevin Matlock, ran to their neighbor’s house after smelling and seeing thick smoke. Elam stayed outside and called 911 while Matlock kicked in the front door.
A third neighbor, Jose Vasquez, 38, was driving to pick up his son from school, he said, when he passed the burning house and saw a man kicking in the door.
“I just felt like stopping to help,” he said, adding that nothing was going through his mind at the time, including his own safety. “I just wanted to help.”
Vasquez and Matlock carried the woman out of the burning home by her arms and legs, Vasquez said, and laid her down out front. They stayed with her while waiting for firefighters and paramedics to arrive.
Elam said the woman was severely burned.
“She was in bad shape,” Elam said. “It was gnarly. … I will have a hard time getting that image out of my head.”
Captain David James with the Vancouver Fire Department confirmed the rescue. James could not confirm the extent of the victim’s injuries but said she was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center’s trauma unit. Her identity has yet to be released.
The fire was reported at 3:03 p.m. at 1105 E. 29th St.
Firefighters arrived five minutes later to find flames and smoke coming from the small, wood-framed home, which was built in 1940, according to county records.
The flames were quickly knocked down. However, at least eight dogs died in the fire. Neighbors said the woman who lives at the home kept eight or nine dogs. Firefighters so far have recovered eight. Their bodies were turned over to an animal control officer to be taken to the Humane Society for Southwest Washington.
Firefighters once again sprayed the home with water at about 4:30 p.m. after the fire flared up. They pulled insulation from the ceiling, opened up a wall on the right side of the home and sprayed foam inside.
The Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office was on scene investigating the cause.
Clark County Fire District 6 assisted the Vancouver Fire Department. In all, six engines were on scene, along with about 24 firefighters.
According to The Columbian’s archives, the same house caught fire twice before — once in December 2012 and again in February 2015. In both fires, a woman and multiple dogs escaped.
