Washougal garage damaged by fire

A garage in Washougal was damaged by fire on Sept. 18.

At 11 a.m., members of the Camas-Washougal Fire Department (CWFD) were dispatched to a report of a structure fire in the 3300 block of G Street in Washougal. On arrival, crews found a working fire in a large detached garage.

“Initial suppression attempts were unsuccessful due to the age of the structure and the heavy fire load of vehicles and equipment,” according to a news release issued by the CWFD. “A defensive strategy was adopted and the fire was eventually extinguished from the exterior of the building.”

The building suffered partial roof collapse, and some of the contents of the building in the area of origin are likely a total loss, according to the news release. Other contents suffered significant smoke and water damage, but there were no injuries reported.

 “At this time we believe the fire was started by combustibles being stored too close to a wall heater,” CWFD marshal Ron Schumacher said in a Sept. 24 email. “The fire department advises that if you heat your home or office with a wall heater, make sure that there are no combustibles near your heater prior to turning on the thermostat.”