Just after one o’clock this afternoon, Vancouver Fire was dispatched to the report of a structure fire at 9901 SE Mill Plain Blvd.  Upon arrival crews found a commercial building on fire.  Crews from eight units with approximately twenty firefighters began to extinguish the fire.  

Soon after Vancouver Fire crews arrived at the Mill Plain Fire there was a second structure fire dispatched at 16718 SE 1^st St.  Vancouver Fire responded with additional units including a few from neighboring Fire Departments.  Upon arrival, Vancouver Fire department found a one-story home and additional property on fire in the Great Western neighborhood in Eastern Vancouver.    

Both fires were extinguished quickly, and all structures were searched.  No civilians, pets or firefighters were hurt in either fire.  Vancouver Fire dispatched a Rehabilitation unit to the fires to help firefighters on scene remain as cooled and hydrated as possible.  High heat and humidity like we experienced today make a hard job even more difficult to perform.  Firefighters often loose large amounts of water and increase their core body temperatures to extreme levels while working on the fire ground.  Two families were displaced in the fires.  One person at the SE 1st St fire was evaluated but not transported.  The Vancouver Fire Marshals office is investigating the fire on Mill Plain Blvd while the Clark County Fire Marshals office will investigate the fire on SE 1^st St.  

Photo credit: VFD

The Vancouver Fire Department extinguished a small fire at the Meridian Apartments Tuesday evening. The 911 call came in just before 830 PM and first arriving firefighters found smoke coming from a window in the back of a ground level apartment. Crews extinguished the fire in just a few minutes preventing further fire extension into adjacent apartments. No injuries were reported, and one person was displaced. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Vancouver Fire Marshal's Office.