Fire Engulfs Wash. Apartments Under Construction
Source The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.
June 20--A Vancouver apartment complex in the process of being built was destroyed in two-alarm fire early this morning.
A member of 24-hour fitness noticed flames coming from across the street at the complex, 800 S.E. Tech Center Drive, about 3:15 a.m., said Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli.
About 40 firefighters from Vancouver Fire Department and Camas-Washougal Fire Department responded to fight the blaze.
"It was completely fully involved," Scarpelli said. "Firefighters took a defensive attack on this fire to protect any exposure."
The fire is still burning and crews remain on scene, but Scarpelli said that the blaze has burned the under-construction complex "to the ground."
Scarpelli said the circumstances of the fire unusual and so the agency's arson investigation team are working the case.
"It's highly unusual when you have a building this large, this fully involved," she said.
The investigation will take some time, Scarpelli said, because of the efforts to put out hot spots.
"It'll take at least 24 hours before we can even get into the scene," she said. "It's still burning and it's still incredibly hot."
Copyright 2014 - The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.
