PORTLAND, Ore. — A fire at the Erica Village apartment complex north of Vancouver spread through part of the building Tuesday evening, directly or indirectly impacting all 18 of the building's apartments.
According to the Battalion Chief with Clark County District Six fire department, the fire started on the second floor of one resident's apartment, then spreading to their attic, where after reaching the roof, the wind caused the flames to spread across the complex.
The wind played a significant factor when controlling the fire, the Battalion Chief told KGW, and made it more difficult for the firefighters to contain the flames.
The fire did not spread to every unit in the apartment complex, but everyone living in the Erica Village apartments will have to relocate for the time being because there's water damage in other areas and the entire building has no power.
"The fire didn't make it into mine, but it's next to the unit that had fire so I'm just hoping to get my cat out of there... hopefully it's ok," said Jason Hoffman, a resident of the Erica Village apartments for three years. "[I've] got to find housing because I don't think we'll have a place to stay for a while, I'd imagine it will be a month or more... I mean, look at the size of the fire."
The Red Cross was on site to help residents figure out their next steps, as there is no timeline for when tenants will be able to return to their apartments.
There is still no official report on the cause of the fire.