FD: Bend garage fire likely smoker’s carelessness

A fire investigator says smoker’s carelessness – cigarette butts stored in a plastic trash can – is the most probable cause of a fierce fire that burned the carport of a northeast Bend home Wednesday evening and spread to the house and nearby trees, causing some explosions and forcing neighborhood evacuations.

Deputy Fire Marshal Susie Maniscalco said cigarette butts were being stored in a plastic garbage container under the carport and against the side of the house at 1649 NE Lesley Place.

The first reports came in shortly before 6:30 p.m. of a garage fire that was spreading to the rest of the house, located north of Bear Creek Road, east of 15th Street and south of Highway 20 and Pilot Butte.

Crews arrived to find a fully involved garage fire that had spread to nearby trees and the home’s attic, aid Bend fire Battalion Chief Jeff Blake. Along with the thick smoke, explosions were heard.

The homeowners were not home at the time, but neighbors said they noticed the flames after they heard a loud explosion.

“It sounded like a freight train hit the side of my house,” neighbor David Long said.

Long called dispatch as other neighbors kicked in the door to the home looking for pets and others hosed down the house.

“I looked out and it was like this raging inferno and it got worse,” he said.

Aerosol cans, flammable liquids, ammunition and propane camping bottles were stored near the garbage container, and exploded ammunition was found in and around the scene, Maniscalco said.

Police quickly evacuated neighboring houses, Blake said, while fire crews were able to quickly control the fire and keep it from spreading to other homes in the neighborhood.

The garage and an outbuilding in the backyard were destroyed, according to Blake, who estimated the losses at $35,000 to the structure and $8,000 to the contents.

There were no reported injuries.

First police-scanner reports indicated the fire threatened to spread to the southeast, and police and fire crews were working to make sure homes in the possible path were vacant or evacuated.

The fire prompted closure of Bear Creek Road for a time as it initially put up a black smoke plume visible for miles, and prompted a callback for Bend firefighters to report for duty. Blake said.

Evacuated neighbors said they were told the smoke contained toxic fumes and they needed to leave at once. And they said they could smell fumes almost immediately, as ash rained down on nearby areas.

Amanda Larkin said she saw billows of smoke after she returned home, “then I heard this loud explosion, and I saw flames flying up and huge black clouds (of smoke) now coming up.”

Sunriver sent a fire engine to help cover the district as nearly 20 personnel were called out on the blaze.

On the NewsChannel 21 Facebook page, resident Emily Finley praised the “very quick” police response and noted that “neighbors were helping make sure everyone (people and animals) were out even before fire and police arrived.”

Fire crews called off dispatchers’ “burn times” at a half-hour, indicating the blaze had been knocked down, and nearby residents were allowed to return home.