One person burned in arborvitae fire in Orchards

A homeowner was treated for burns at an area hospital after an arborvitae fire spread to neighboring houses Sunday afternoon in Orchards.

Vancouver firefighters responded shortly after 4 p.m. to the 11000 block of 109th Street. While on their way, crews could see a large plume of smoke, according to a fire department news release.

Firefighters arrived to find a large vegetation fire and shed on fire. The blaze was also spreading to a house, the department said.

The owner of an adjacent house suffered burns on his extremities, and firefighters treated him before he was taken by ambulance to a hospital, the news release states.

Crews extended a hose line to extinguish the fire that had spread to the house’s attic. Ashes from the blaze also sparked small bark dust fires throughout the neighborhood, according to the department.

A total of 23 firefighters brought the fire under control in about 20 minutes. They remained on the scene for four hours to extinguish hot spots in the attic, the news release states.

The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.