The Vancouver apartment fire that sent two people jumping for safety from the second story Saturday evening started on the outside of the building, and fire investigators are seeking tips to help them determine the cause of the blaze.
The fire damaged two upstairs and two downstairs units of the Fort Vancouver Terrace Apartments, 4710 Plomondon St., in the city’s Bagley Downs neighborhood, causing an estimated $250,000 damage, Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said Sunday.
Investigators are still chasing down leads to determine how the fire began and whether it was intentionally set, she said.
“We need to follow up leads to basically rule out some things,” she said.
Scarpelli encouraged anyone with information about the fire to call Lead Deputy Fire Marshal Chad Lawry at 360-487-7237.
The fire was dramatic. At about 6:50 p.m., multiple 911 callers said that one of the buildings in the 12-unit complex was on fire and someone had jumped from the building.
The first firefighters there saw flames venting from the roof of the apartment building and blocking the entire breezeway for the units — the primary escape route for residents inside, according to the Vancouver Fire Department.
According to the fire department, firefighters were assisted by Vancouver police officers, who were able to rescue two people through the backside of a ground-floor apartment.
Emergency medical personnel examined the two rescued from the apartment, as well as one person who jumped from a second-story window and another who jumped from a second-story porch roof. None of them were injured.
At least four residents of the damaged apartments and several pets received aid from the American Red Cross, the organization said in a news release. The Red Cross helps people affected by fires find temporary housing and other recovery services.