An apartment fire March 26 in Vancouver’s Mountain View neighborhood was caused by a cooking appliance placed too close to combustible materials, according to a city fire marshal.
The fire at the Monterey Apartments, 905 S.E. 136th Ave., started in the kitchen, Vancouver Lead Deputy Fire Marshal Dean Bray said in an email.
Bray urged residents to be careful when using heat-producing cooking equipment and to remain in the kitchen while cooking.
Property and content loss was estimated at more than $201,000, Bray said.
Firefighters were dispatched at 10:15 a.m. to the apartments. Five engines, two ladder trucks and two battalion chiefs responded to the scene, according to a Vancouver Fire Department news release.
Witnesses called 911 when they saw smoke and flames coming from a first-floor apartment, the fire department said.
The first arriving crew reached the building within five minutes and spotted fire billowing out of an apartment’s window.
Firefighters stretched a hose line to attack the blaze, which was knocked down and under control within five minutes of entering the apartment, the department said.
Additional crews used a nearby hydrant to maintain a water supply, ensured that the fire hadn’t spread to other units and searched for victims in neighboring apartments. There were no reported injuries.
The Red Cross was called to assist two adults and one child who were displaced.
