The house was a total loss from the fire damage; the occupant was not at home at the time of the fire
Crews from Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue responded to a fully involved house fire on NW 199th Avenue Sunday night.
Engine 26 from the Dollar’s Corner station was dispatched at 11:38 p.m. Sunday night (Sept. 19) to a report of smoke in the area of NW 199th Street and NW 11th Avenue, south of Ridgefield. Five minutes later, CRESA dispatchers received a report that a house was on fire at 1009 NW 199th Street and added three more fire engines, a ladder truck, and a battalion chief to the incident.
CCFR Engine 26 arrived to find a one-story house fully involved in fire. Most of the roof had already caved in from the fire. A hose line was used to knock down the fire and protect a nearby building on the property that was threatened by the fire.
As more fire units arrived, firefighters were deployed to put water on the fire in an attempt to bring it under control. CCFR utilized the ladder on Tower 21 (from the Ridgefield station) to spray water on the fire from above. Known as a “master stream device,” the large diameter nozzle at the tip of the aerial ladder allowed firefighters to deliver over 750 gallons of water per minute on the fire and quickly knock the fire down.
Due to the extensive damage to the house caused by the fire before firefighters arrived, personnel conducted “defensive fire operations” and fought the fire from outside the building. The roof, walls, and floors were too unstable for firefighters to enter the building to extinguish the fire.
The house was a total loss from the fire damage. The occupant was not at home at the time of the fire. There were no injuries to fire personnel at the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Firefighters remained on scene until 2:50 a.m. Monday to mop up hot spots, ensure the fire was fully extinguished, and assist the Fire Investigator. CCFR was assisted on this incident by units from Clark County Fire District 6.
Information provided by Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue.
