Downtown Redmond house fire causes $25,000 damage; cause under investigation

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A fire broke out Friday night on the second story of a home in downtown Redmond, causing about $25,000 in damage, and the cause remains under investigation, a Redmond Fire and Rescue official said Saturday.

Crews were dispatched shortly before 10 p.m. to fire in the home in the 400 block of West Antler Avenue. Battalion Chief Ron Hawkins said a woman who had been “frantically knocking on doors” also came to the nearby fire station, in the 300 block of Northwest Dogwood Avenue, to report the fire.

“We were heading to the apparatus when dispatch also notified us,” he said.

Arriving crews found flames out the window of a second-story room, but having apparently not spread to other rooms, Hawkins said. An old barber shop connects to the north side of the house, which is next to Rigoberto’s Taco Shop, he said.

The first engine crew on scene had to force open a second-floor door that had been blocked shut and found furniture on fire, which they were able to quickly extinguish.

Two of the home's four residents said they were home when they were alerted to the fire, Hawkins said. An American Red Cross disaster team was called in to assist the occupants.

Hawkins said that since firefighters could not at first confirm all occupants were out of the home, a thorough search was conducted. Crews also performed overhaul of the rooms and checked for any extension into other areas of the home.

One firefighter sustained a minor injury during the effort, Hawkins said. Most smoke damage was confined to the home's second floor.

Other mutual-aid assistance was provided by Crooked River Ranch Fire, Redmond police, Pacific Power and Cascade Natural Gas.