Crews from all over Clark County team up to fight blaze

On Tuesday (July 11) at 2:30 p.m., Vancouver Fire Department was dispatched to a grass fire at 20102 NE 16^th Street. While en route to the scene, crews could see a large column of smoke from the reported area. 

When the initial crews arrived, they found a fire in a hay field. The fire was moving into the hay bales and to the uncut grass to the east. The initial fire crews had difficulty accessing the fire due to steep and rough terrain and the inability to drive through the hay field with a fire engine. A small fire engine called a Brush Truck would be needed to gain access to the fire however, the closest Brush Truck was 10 minutes away. 

Due to the wind and the inability to get water on the fire quickly, the fire grew and reached a grove of small trees which intensified the fire and made it move more quickly. Additional Brush Trucks were dispatched along with several water tenders and a helicopter from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as the fire grew to approximately 20 acres. 

It took approximately two hours and several resources to gain control of the fire. Crews from all over Clark County assisted to include fire crews from DNR, Larch Corrections Hand crew, Fire District 3, Camas/Washougal Fire and East County Fire & Rescue. 

There were no injuries to report, or structures lost, and the fire is under investigation by the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office

Information provided by Vancouver Fire Department.