Fire heavily damages La Pine home, no injuries; cause may be tied to bank of solar power batteries

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A fire possibly tied to a battery bank from solar panels heavily damaged a La Pine home Wednesday afternoon, but no injuries were reported.

The fire that began in the home's laundry room and began to spread was reported around 12:15 p.m. in the 16000 block of Buena Vista Drive.

About 25% of the single-story home was damaged by the fire, which began in the laundry room, but there was heavy smoke damage throughout the structure, the La Pine Rural Fire Protection District said.

The fire district had 14 crew members on scene, with two engines, three water tenders, a support service vehicle and two command vehicles. Sunriver Fire assisted with an engine and three more firefighters, while Crescent Fire helped with an advanced life support ambulance.

Officials said a potential fire start might be connected to a battery bank in the laundry room from solar panels.

Smoke detectors were reported working in the home.