As Julie Lewis volunteered with her co-workers Wednesday at a charity fundraiser, she took a moment to recognize the cruel irony of her newfound free time.
“We’re all out of work, so we had some time today,” Lewis said with a laugh.
Lewis’ store, Denim & Frills consignment boutique, was one of several businesses damaged by a Jan. 19 fire at Holly Park Shopping Center in Hazel Dell.
The district responded, along with the Vancouver Fire Department and Clark County Fire and Rescue, around 2 p.m. with 12 engines, two tankers, one squad and three battalion chiefs. Flames were seen coming from the front of Chic Boutique and behind the strip mall, as the fire spread through a common attic.
The district recently purchased $70,000 in new equipment and has invested in research and training to help firefighters better contain blazes. In the past, crews responding to blazes similar to the one in Hazel Dell would have cut a hole in the roof to ventilate the fire, which allows smoke and heat to escape and firefighters to enter the structure, Fire District 6 spokesman Dave Schmitke said.
But the new training taught that opening such a hole also adds oxygen to the fire and allows it to spread more rapidly, Schmitke said. Firefighters decided not to ventilate the roof, which allowed them to blast water on the building before flames could engulf the common attic.