House fire in Washougal ruled arson

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

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

Martin said he hopes to forward his report to the Clark County prosecutor’s office by the end of this week.

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. Wednesday. 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.

David Pinkernell, who lives one-half mile away from the site of the fire, said in an e-mail to the Post-Record that he was working from home on Wednesday when he heard “a big, deep boom,” and saw dark smoke when he looked out his window.