A house fire in Vancouver’s Shumway neighborhood Wednesday morning displaced a family of four and their pets.
Vancouver Fire Department crews were dispatched at 9:43 a.m. to 3200 I St. for the report of a residential structure fire.
The family was asleep when they were awoken by a smoke detector in the basement of the single-story home, Vancouver firefighter Jesse Martin said.
Firefighters determined the basement to be the fire’s point of origin, and by the time they arrived, smoke was moving up into the house, according to the fire department.
Crews first attacked the blaze in the basement through an exterior window, and then moved inside to finish extinguishment and to search the home.
The fire was under control in about 15 minutes, Martin said. A total of four Vancouver Fire Department engines and a single engine from Clark County Fire District 6 responded.
All four occupants of the house safely escaped, along with four dogs. The Red Cross responded to help the family. Smoke damaged the home, making it temporarily uninhabitable.
The Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause.
