House fire in Washougal ruled arson

A fire that recently destroyed a rural Washougal home is now being investigated as an arson case.

Richard Martin, Clark County assistant fire marshal, said the fire originated in the garage of the two-story home located at 530 S.E. Blair Road. He declined to provide further details citing the ongoing investigation.

According to Clark County records, the house and property valued at $355,490 are owned by Jon and Billinda Jantzer. The 3,630 square foot house was built in 1995.

Crews were called to the scene at approximately 3:22 p.m. Jan. 12. When firefighters arrived, the house was already fully engulfed in flames. Crews decided to attack the fire defensively from the outside due to the conditions being too unsafe to enter.

Water had to be trucked to the scene by four East County Fire and Rescue water tenders holding more than 2,500 gallons each. Approximately 300 feet of hose had to be laid down the driveway to get water to the fire. Additional man power and equipment was also provided by Washougal and Camas fire departments.

According to a press release from ECFR no one was home at the time of the fire, which destroyed the house and a car that was parked in the driveway. Martin said he estimated the damages at $300,000.

This article was first published as a breaking news story on the Post-Record website on Tuesday, Jan. 18. This updated article can also be found in the Jan. 25 issue of the Post-Record.