Two Bend kitchen fires reported in 24 hours

(Update: Second kitchen fire reported, stopped with extinguisher)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A southeast Bend apartment four-plex was evacuated Friday morning due to a kitchen fire that investigators said was caused by a Keurig K-cup carousel left on a kitchen stove top. Fortunately, a resident had the small fire out with an extinguisher before firefighters arrived.

It was the second kitchen fire in Bend in less than 24 hours.

Bend Fire & Rescue responded shortly after 11 a.m. to the reported fire in a first-floor apartment at the Stone Creek Apartments in the 300 block of Reed Market Road, Deputy Fire Marshal Susie Maniscalco said.

The tenants were evacuating, and while there was a report of three cats trapped in the apartment, they were unhurt, Maniscalco said.

Crews arrived to find light smoke in the apartment. The tenants said they’d turned on a stovetop range to boil water and inadvertently left the K-cup carousel atop the range, where it eventually ignited from direct heat, scorching the microwave and cabinets above the range.

Since the fire was small, the resident reached for a portable fire extinguisher outside the apartment and put out the blaze before firefighters arrived, Maniscalco said.

“This apartment also had working smoke alarms,” Maniscalco told NewsChannel 21 on scene. “The occupants did the right thing, they were evacuated. When they knew that it was an emergency or a fire, they did extinguish it, because the fire was small. 

“Had it been a lot larger, a much greater fire, its important to make sure you evacuate, and not go inside for anything, including pets," she added.

Losses were estimated at $1,500 to the structure and $500 worth of contents.

“Bend Fire & Rescue would like to remind residents that cooking fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries,” Maniscalco wrote.

“Stand by your pan. If you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off and watch what you are cooking. 

“A portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives; but portable extinguishers have limitations. Because fire grows and spreads so rapidly, the #1 priority for residents is to get out safely.”

Earlier, a 20-year-old microwave caught fire while in operation at a northwest Bend home Thursday evening, spreading to kitchen cabinets before firefighters stopped it, officials said.

Crews responded to the reported appliance fire around 7 p.m. at a home in the 20200 block of Mariner Drive, Captain Will Akins reported.

The residents reported hearing unusual sounds coming from the microwave as it was warming food. They investigated the sound and found it was on fire, Akins said.

Firefighters used extinguishers to knock down the fire, which caused smoke damage on the first floor of the home.

Losses were estimated at $3,000 to the structure and $500 worth of contents. The cause was determined to be a failure of the older microwave.

Akins said Bend Fire wants to remind people to evacuate when a fire is discovered, call 911 and don't re-enter the structure once you have left.