A historic railroad passenger car that the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad had hoped to restore was destroyed in a Friday, Aug. 28, fire at Furniture World SW in Vancouver, with investigators later determining the blaze was intentionally set.
A man who is already in custody has been charged with first-degree arson.
The fire at 7017 NE St. John’s Road began shortly after 6 p.m. on Aug. 28 and involved multiple areas, including the Furniture World warehouse, a large dumpster, nearby grass and the railroad car stored behind the business.
According to the Vancouver Fire Department, 56 firefighters from Vancouver Fire and Clark County Fire District 6 responded after receiving a report of a large box or dumpster fire against a building. Crews arriving at the scene found significantly more fire than initially reported, including flames impinging on the building near a roll-up door and the railroad car burning behind the warehouse.
A second alarm was requested as conditions rapidly developed.
Firefighters determined the exterior fire had extended into the warehouse and ignited furniture inventory inside. The fires were brought under control in about 40 minutes, Vancouver Fire stated.
Employees at Furniture World evacuated safely after the building’s fire alarm activated. No injuries were reported, the Vancouver Fire news release stated.
The damage to the business is estimated at more than $640,000, according to a later Clark County Sheriff’s Office news release.
The fire also destroyed a piece of local railroad history that had been in the possession of the nonprofit Chelatchie Prairie Railroad based in Yacolt.
Railroad President Randy Williams said the passenger car had been given to the organization with plans to move it to the railroad’s yard in Yacolt and restore it for future use.
“It was a presidential car for Northern Pacific Railway's president when Northern Pacific was in this area, Burlington Northern bought them out I think in the ‘70s or something,” Williams said.
Williams said the organization had been working on the car for more than a decade. Thirteen years ago, he spent several evenings underneath the car working on its brake system in preparation for moving it.
The move was ultimately delayed because the route required bridge repairs. The county has since completed those repairs, but the railroad car remained at the Furniture World property.
“We went down and removed the barbed wire with the intention of taking it up to Yacolt, to our yard, but then found that the railway path wasn't clear,” Williams said.
The car had also been repeatedly occupied by people experiencing homelessness, Williams said. Railroad volunteers had previously welded the doorway shut after evictions, only to have people return.
Williams said the car contained furniture that appeared to have been removed from the Furniture World dumpster, including recliners, mattresses and office chairs.
“There were people actively living in there,” Williams said.
The railroad had considered several options for restoring the car, including removing the roof and sides, cleaning out the interior and installing bench seats. But Williams said the steel body had deteriorated too much to make restoration practical.
The loss also creates a financial challenge for the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad. Williams said the nonprofit only insures cars that are in revenue service, although it has blanket policies that could potentially cover some expenses associated with the fire.
As of the interview, the railroad was working with its insurance agent to determine whether any coverage applied.
Williams said the likely fate of the railroad car is now scrap, although some components may be salvaged for use on other railroad equipment.
“It's just a tragic loss of local history,” Williams said.
The car featured a parlor at the back, where Williams said much of the fire occurred, along with inlaid mahogany and velvet.
“It was beautiful,” Williams said. “It's just unfortunate that it went that way.”
The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office determined the Furniture World fire was intentionally set and identified two separate areas of origin, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators also obtained surveillance video showing a person matching the description of 31-year-old Josue Paredes Merino near an area where the fire is believed to have started.
Paredes Merino was arrested on Aug. 28 on multiple charges, including second-degree theft and reckless burning, after a witness reported seeing him start a separate brush fire near the 4000 block of NE 119th Avenue. That fire burned less than 200 square feet before being extinguished by Clark County Fire District 6.
Deputies later located Paredes Merino after he allegedly stole a bicycle from a nearby residence. The bicycle’s owner confronted him and held him at gunpoint near the 2200 block of Brookview Drive until deputies arrived.
About two hours before the brush fire was reported, firefighters had responded to the Furniture World blaze.
Following the fire marshal’s investigation and additional detective work, Paredes Merino was charged on Thursday, Sept. 3, with first-degree arson in connection with the Furniture World fire.
Sheriff’s Office investigators also identified Paredes Merino as a person of interest in a third fire that occurred around the same time between the Furniture World fire and the brush fire. That investigation remains ongoing.
As of press time, Paredes Merino remains in custody at the Clark County Jail, held on $7,500 bail.
Meanwhile, Williams said the railroad is focused on cleaning up the site and determining what can be salvaged from the historic car.
“I've got a meeting scheduled with a rail car repair and recycling company on Tuesday on site to make further dispositions to see what their feelings are,” Williams said.
“There are some harvestable parts on there that we'll be taking off that we can move on to other equipment that we own,” he added. “So some of it will be harvested for repair parts for later.”
