Vancouver Fire responds to blaze at mill

Crews worked in rotating teams to make sure embers did not catch anything else on fire near the scene and worked to stop water runoff from entering the Columbia River

At 6:34 p.m. on Sunday (June 29), the Vancouver Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a fire at 18637 SE Evergreen Highway in Vancouver which is the address of Columbia Vista Corporation.  The initial responding engine upgraded the response to add approximately 30 personnel and 16 apparatus.  

Upon arrival, heavy fire and smoke billowed from a large, two-story lumber warehouse.  The smoke produced could easily be seen from the Oregon side of the river.  With no fire hydrants on scene, the fire department used four water tenders and a water supply created by Vancouver Fire Boat Discovery in the Columbia River.  Vancouver Fire also had to ask for the railroad tracks to be shut down to facilitate engines and water tenders moving across the tracks.  It was confirmed that all employees were safe and out of the structure.  

VFD Truck 10 set up an elevated master stream to attack the fire with large amounts of water supplied by Fire Boat Discovery.  An electrical power line fell in the middle of the property and effectively cut the scene in half until Clark Public Utilities was able to shut the power off to that line.  Crews worked in rotating teams to make sure embers did not catch anything else on fire near the scene and worked to stop water runoff from entering the Columbia River.  

The fire department worked with mill employees who used heavy equipment to disassemble the building to reach some of the deeper parts of the fire.  Crews worked well into the night to make sure the site and surrounding community were safe.  The Vancouver Fire Marshal’s office was on scene to investigate.

Information provided by the Vancouver Fire Department.