Firefighters make a ventilation cut into a burning apartment building in Woodland Jan. 7.
An apartment building in Woodland burns during a fire Jan. 7.
Fire crews wait to begin a fire overhaul following an apartment fire blaze in Woodland Jan. 7.
Fire crews respond to an apartment building fire in Woodland Jan. 7.
A fire that burned a six-unit apartment building in Woodland Thursday, Jan. 7, has displaced six residents and left one pet dead, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue (CCFR) reported.
At around 5:15 p.m. CCFE dispatched units to the 1300 block of Goerig Street where they found one of the apartment units “fully engulfed in flames,” according to the department’s report. Upon arrival, a strong breeze was pushing the fire into an adjacent unit and into the building’s attic space.
Due to the amount of fire and potential for more units to become engulfed in flame, units on the scene called for additional resources.
The initial crew kept the fire in check until the additional units arrived, after which the fire was extinguished, CCFR reported. Firefighters checked the apartment for occupants and applied a “trench cut” in the roof to keep fire from spreading further in the attic.
CCFR noted that the building was older and did not contain an automatic sprinkler system.
Two of the apartment units were completely destroyed, with another three damaged by smoke and heat. The fire displaced six residents, and the American Red Cross was called to assist those residents, CCFR reported.
No firefighters or residents were injured in the fire, CCFR noted, though a pet could not be resuscitated and died.
A total of 33 personnel responded to the fire, CCFR reported. The department was assisted by Cowlitz County Fire District 1, Clark County Fire District 6, Clark County Fire District 3, and the Vancouver Fire Department.
The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire. Crews remained on scene until about 10 p.m. to complete extinguishment and assist in the investigation.
