Rose Village house fire caused by faulty ceiling fan

A house fire Sunday in Vancouver’s Rose Village neighborhood was caused by a faulty ceiling fan, according to a fire marshal.

A bathroom ceiling fan malfunctioned and caught fire, which spread into the home’s attic, Lead Deputy Fire Marshal Dean Bray said.

It’s a common occurrence in older homes, Bray said. He encouraged residents to check their old, built-in fans, and to have them inspected if they’re making noise or appear to be not working properly.

The Vancouver Fire Department quickly extinguished the attic fire. Getting full access to the house at 3515 M St. took longer than usual, however, due to exposed wiring inside.

Emergency crews were dispatched at 1:56 p.m. to the 950-square-foot ranch house, which was built in 1938. There, they found light smoke coming from the attic.

Firefighters cut through the roof and contained the smoldering fire within 10 minutes, according to emergency radio traffic monitored by The Columbian.

A full survey of the house was delayed for almost an hour after exposed wiring coming from the ceiling was found. Searchers waited until a Clark Public Utilities crew could cut power to the property.

The fire caused around $23,000 in damage, the fire marshal said.