Due to the safety of the firefighters and the lack of steady water supply a decision was made to remove personnel from inside the burning structure and take up defensive positions outside

Just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday (June 24) morning, the Vancouver Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a structure fire near the 8100 block of NE 217th Ave. in the Proebstel neighborhood in east Vancouver. 

The homeowner called 9-1-1 and said that their deck was on fire. The residents were able to escape safely but due to the remote area of the fire, it took the first fire crew 10 minutes to arrive. First-arriving fire engines reported fire and smoke from three sides of the home. 

Fire operations were made difficult at this scene due to the absence of nearby fire hydrants. Four large capacity water tenders were requested and used during the fire incident from East County Fire Rescue, Clark County Fire District 3, and Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue to supply the firefighting efforts. 

Due to the safety of the firefighters and the lack of steady water supply a decision was made to remove personnel from inside the burning structure and take up defensive positions outside. 

There were no reported injuries and the fire is under investigation by the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office. 

Information provided by Vancouver Fire Department.