74-year-old Vancouver man ID’d as victim of December hotel fire

The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified a 74-year-old Vancouver man as the person who died in a fire in December at the Inn at Salmon Creek.

Peter Benson died from asphyxia due to inhalation of smoke in a hotel room, the medical examiner’s office said Monday. His death was ruled an accident.

The medical examiner’s office said it had been unable to locate Benson’s next of kin and asked anyone with information about his family to contact the office at 564-397-8405, option 3.

Firefighters with Clark County Fire District 6 were called shortly before 6:30 a.m. Dec. 9 to the hotel, 11901 N.E. Highway 99 in Salmon Creek.

When they arrived, they found no smoke on the outside of the hotel; however, there was a fire in one of the rooms.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and found Benson’s body in the room.

The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office was unable to determine the cause of the fire. The agency reminds people to ensure they have working smoke detectors.