A portable heater sparked a fire Sunday night that destroyed a Ridgefield house, according to fire officials.
Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue responded at 11:38 p.m. to a house fire at 1009 N.W. 199th St. When crews arrived, the house was already engulfed in flames and most of the roof had caved in, according to a fire department press release. The house was too unstable for crews to enter, and they began “defensive” firefighting tactics to keep the fire from spreading.
The house was a total loss, according to Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue, and the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office said the house was valued at $166,000.
The resident was not home at the time, and no firefighters were injured.
An investigator with the fire marshal’s office said there were portable heaters in use in almost every room of the house and that one heater in a bedroom was too close to the bed.
