Update 2: Vancouver Fire Responds To Water Rescue At Wintler Park -07/28/25

Press Release Correction/Update 2:

The Vancouver Fire Department requested the support of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Dive Team to recover the body at Wintler Park.  At approximately 7:15 tonight the Sheriff's Office Dive Team did recover the body who was then transported by Vancouver Fire Department Rescue Boat 1 to shore and turned over the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner.

Press Release Correction/Update:

The man is 52 years old, not 54.  His body has not yet been found.

The man was swiming to recover some property that was in deeper water.  The 5 year old was not involved in any part of this drowning according to the vistim's family.

Vancouver Fire Department Rescue Boat 1 is on scene again today (07/28/2025) to search for the body using sonar equipement and standard search patterns. Fire Boat 1 is equiped with new sonar equipement to enhance search efforts. 

Original Press Release:

The Vancouver Fire Department responded to a water rescue at Wintler Park on the evening of July 27 at approximately 8:48 p.m. after reports that a 54-year-old male entered the Columbia River to assist a 5-year-old child struggling to stay afloat.

According to witnesses, the man successfully rescued the child but then went under the water and was not seen again.

A total of 23 emergency personnel responded to the scene, including rescue swimmers from Vancouver Fire and Clark County Fire District 6, Vancouver’s Fire Boat, Portland Fire & Rescue’s rescue boat, and the US Coast Guard.

Rescue operations continued until 10:39p.m. and were then suspended. The incident has since been turned over to the US Coast Guard and the Vancouver Police Department for continued investigation and recovery efforts.

Vancouver Fire Responds To Brush Fire (Photo) -07/28/25

At 08:11 AM on 7/28/2025 the Vancouver Fire Department was dispatch to the report of smoke at 11000 NW Erwin O Rieger Memorial Highway.  The first unit arriving on scene found an approximately 50’ X 50’ area of dense blackberries that were on fire.  Our response was increased to add additional units such as water tenders and brush rigs due to the lack of fire hydrants and topography of the area.  Crews fought the fire aggressively and were able to extinguish it in approximately 10 minutes but stayed on scene for the next hour and a half to make sure the fire did not reignite.  A DNR (Department of Natural Resources) supervisor was contacted, and the scene was turned over to their crews.  No injuries were reported.

Vancouver Fire Responds To Multiple House Fires (Photo) -07/25/25

At 12:12 today on 07-25-2025 the Vancouver Fire Department was dispatched to the report of multiple houses on fire at 5102 NE 121^St Ave inside Oak Creek Mobile Home Park.  The first fire department unit arrived just four minutes later to find two homes and a large tree on fire along with a slow-moving brush fire to the West.  Vancouver Fire had approximately ten units with twenty-eight suppression personnel on scene.  Additional units were requested for water supply redundancy as well as brush units and squads to handle the brush fire.  The fire was deemed to be under control in just over forty minutes.  No injuries were reported.  Four adults and one child were displaced from the two houses involved.  The Vancouver Fire Marshals office was on scene to investigate, and the red cross was requested. 

Vancouver Fire Responds To House Fire (Photo) -07/23/25

At 5:13 AM on 7/23/2025 the Vancouver Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a house fire at 10201 NE 51^st St in Vancouver, WA.  A total of twelve apparatus and twenty-nine suppression personnel responded to the event with assistance from Fire District 6.  The first fire engine arrived approximately five minutes later to find the house on fire.  Crews worked quickly to extinguish the fire and search the house.  One man and his dog were home at the time of the fire and displaced by the event.  The American Red Cross was dispatched to assist.  One firefighter suffered minor injures on scene and was transported to a local area hospital by American Medical Response for evaluation and possible treatment.      

Vancouver Fire Responds To House Fire -07/14/25

At 7:21 PM on 7/14/2025 the Vancouver Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a house fire at 7516 Virginia Ln in Vancouver, WA.  The first fire engine arrived just 5 minutes later to find a single-family home on fire.  Vancouver Fire responded with eleven units and forty firefighters.  Crews worked quickly and had the home searched and fire extinguished in less than twenty minutes.  The homeowner was present at the time 911 was called and no injuries were reported.  The red cross was called to the scene as one person was displaced.  The Vancouver Fire Marshals office was on scene to investigate.

Vancouver Fire Responds To House Fire (Photo) -07/03/25

At 11:52 on 07-03-2025, Vancouver Fire was dispatched to the report of a house fire at 1819 SE 146th Ct in Vancouver, WA.  The initial arriving fire engine reported dark smoke coming from a window on the second floor approximately 5 minutes after being dispatched.   The fire was extinguished within minutes and contained to one room in the house.  No people were home at the time of the incident, and a single cat was rescued.  Due to a battery being compromised in the fire, the Vancouver Fire Regional Hazmat Team was dispatched to deal with the cells on scene.  The Hazmat Team used Tyvek suits to limit firefighter exposure to the toxic gases emitted by batteries and discharged/cooled the cells using a brine solution to prevent any possible thermal runaway. The Vancouver Fire Marshals office was on scene to investigate.

Vancouver Fire Responds To Mill Fire (Photo) -07/01/25

At 6:34 PM on Sunday, 06/29/2025 The Vancouver Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a fire at 18637 SE Evergreen Highway in Vancouver, WA which is the address of Columbia Vista Corporation.  The initial responding engine upgraded the response to add approximately 30 personnel and 16 apparatus.  Upon arrival, heavy fire and smoke billowed from a large, two-story lumber warehouse.  The smoke produced could easily be seen from the Oregon side of the river.  With no fire hydrants on scene, the fire department used four water tenders and a water supply created by Vancouver Fire Boat Discovery in the Columbia River.  Vancouver Fire also had to ask for the railroad tracks to be shut down to facilitate engines and water tenders moving across the tracks.  We confirmed that all employees were safe and out of the structure.  Truck 10 set up an elevated master stream to attack the fire with large amounts of water supplied by Fire Boat Discovery.  An electrical power line fell in the middle of the property and effectively cut the scene in half until Clark Public Utilities was able to shut the power off to that line.  Crews worked in rotating teams to make sure embers did not catch anything else on fire near the scene and worked to stop water runoff from entering the Columbia River.  The fire department worked with mill employees who used heavy equipment to disassemble the building to reach some of the deeper parts of the fire.  Crews worked well into the night to make sure the site and surrounding community were safe.  The Vancouver Fire Marshals office was on scene to investigate.