Clark County Fire & RescueRIDGEFIELD, WA (KPTV) -
Firefighters found a person dead inside a burning Ridgefield home Tuesday night.
Crews arrived to the scene at 26908 N.E. 45th Ave. in rural Clark County at about 8:30 p.m. Firefighters say the fire had taken over the home by the time they arrived and was too intense for a thorough search.
After more engines arrived and the fire was knocked down, crews attempted another search. At that time they found the body of one person.
"I called 911 immediately and told them to get the fire department here now because it's an inferno," said Jeff Rogers, who lives down the street.
Rogers watched as dozens of firefighters descended on the burning house that sits at the end of a long, dirt driveway off a rural road. There are no nearby fire hydrants so firefighters had to truck water in to fight the blaze. Firefighters say two cars also burned in the fire.
"They were here in a second," Rogers said. "For the distance they had to travel they did an excellent job."
Investigators haven't released the victim's name.
According to Rogers and reports, a man named Dale Shoemaker lived alone in the house,
The Clark County Sheriff's Office and the Clark County Fire Marshal are investigating the cause.
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