Garden hose helps contain fire

The Forest Grove News-Times, Dec 2, 2009

Forest Grove Firefighter Ivan Bratchuk and Brooke Brown, a firefighting intern, take apart the wall of a house on Glenwood Lane in rural Washington County on Monday. The fire, started by a faulty electrical box smoldered in the house’s walls until it was detected by the homeowner.

Courtesy photo / Forest Grove Fire & Rescue

At first they thought it was a chimney fire.

But when firefighters arrived at the house at 17645 NW Glenwood Lane in rural western Washington County, the fire was more intense than it should be.

Luckily, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue was in the middle of a shift change, with double the firefighters on duty.

It’s a good thing the extra manpower was available, too, said David Nemeyer, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue spokesman.

It’s also a good thing that the homeowner had the foresight to put a garden hose on the fire, dousing the flames that began crawling up the outside of the house’s walls.

“I think that helped a lot in slowing the spread of this thing down and kept it out of the attic,” Nemeyer said.

All told, the fire caused about $20,000 to $30,000 worth of damage.

The residence is located just east of the intersection of the Wilson River Highway and Timber Road.

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