1 dead in barn fire near Ridgefield

RIDGEFIELD, Wash. — One person was killed by a barn fire north of Ridgefield Monday morning. A resident of the property also suffered a medical emergency and was treated by firefighters on scene, but this was not directly related to the fire, according to Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue.

Fire crews arrived at the property on 51st Avenue Northwest at 7:09 a.m. and found what firefighters described in a news release as “a large barn/outbuilding fully engulfed in flames,” and saw that the fire had spread to a car and RV parked next to the structure.

Passersby informed crews that a person may still be inside the building. Firefighters had to stop a resident of the property from attempting to enter the building because, according to the press release, “the level of fire involvement would have resulted in certain death for anyone entering without protective equipment.”

The structure of the building was too damaged for firefighters to enter. So they sprayed water from the outside to attack the fire in the main building and put out the car and RV fires. They also released several chickens from a nearby chicken coop which was also in danger of catching fire. Crews used three tanker trucks to deliver water from the nearest fire hydrant, about a mile away.

An “elderly person” at the property's home suffered a medical emergency at around 8:19 a.m. and was treated by firefighters on scene before being taken to hospital. The press release did not specify how many residents live at the property or whether it was the same resident who previously attempted to enter the barn.

Firefighters had the fire under control about 10 minutes later and investigators from the Clark County Fire Marshal's Office were able to gain entry. They found one person dead inside the building. The release did not identify the victim.

Crews will remain on site until mid-afternoon Monday to extinguish hot spots, according to the news release, with assistance from a Clark County Public Works excavator to ensure it no more hidden flames remain. The press release does not mention any possible cause of the fire, but says the fire remains under investigation by the Office of the Fire Marshal.