PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two men were found dead under what authorities described as “suspicious” circumstances after a fire broke out at a four-unit apartment complex overnight in Vancouver, officials said.
Vancouver police and firefighters responded to the scene around 12:30 a.m. near the corner of E 16th Street and Grand Boulevard after multiple 911 callers reported hearing gunshots followed by smoke and fire.
Police said when they arrived to the home in the Harney Heights neighborhood, they evacuated the neighboring units. The Vancouver Fire Department said firefighters found flames raging from the front and back of a second-floor apartment.
Fire officials called for backup with a second alarm, and 25 firefighters battled the blaze, which had scorched the home and spread to the attic.
The fire was extinguished within half an hour, officials said, and when emergency personnel entered the building, they found two men dead where the fire had started.
The cause of the fire — and what happened leading up to it — is the subject of an investigation by multiple agencies including the Vancouver Police Department’s arson team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Four families were displaced and no other injuries were reported.
Few other details were immediately released.
KOIN 6 News has reached out for more information.