Barbecue sparks patio fire at NE Bend apartments

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Residents used fire extinguishers to tackle a patio fire at a northeast Bend apartment complex Sunday night that spread from a barbecue, officials said.

Bend Fire & Rescue crews, along with Bend police, responded shortly after 8 p.m. to the reported fire on a second-floor patio at The Commons at Pilot Butte on Northeast Linnea Drive, Bend Fire Captain Neil Pedersen said.

They arrived to find light smoke coming fro a back patio and a small, smoldering fire on the wood deck of a second-floor patio, Pedersen said. Occupants of the building had put most of the fire out with extinguishers, he added.

The official said the fire was caused by a small, propane-fed barbecue that began to spread outside the cooking area, to the wall and patio.

Damage was estimated at $1,000. Pedersen said residents pulled the building's fire alarm, and it was reset afterward. The buildings are equipped with fire sprinklers, but not in the patio area.

"Bend Fire & Rescue would like to remind the community to ensure when using barbecue’s to provide proper spacing from structures, allow for proper ventilation, and maintain close attention to them during operation," the fire captain said in a news release. Also he said, if charcoal briquettes are used, make sure they are disposed of properly.