Fire engulfs vacant NE Redmond home

A fire engulfed a vacant, boarded-up home in northeast Redmond Friday night, officials said.

The fire was reported shortly before 10 p.m. at an unoccupied two-story home at 955 Northeast Negus Way, said Redmond Fire Battalion Chief Chris Simmons.

The first crews to arrive reported the house fully engulfed and began a defensive attack to keep the flames from spreading to equipment and a nearby home under construction, Simmons said.

“It’s an abandoned, house, it was boarded up,” Simmons said at the scene. “So I don’t know whether their intent was to rebuild it or to tear it down. But at this time, whatever the value was, it’s a total loss.”

At least one downed power line was reported. The intersection of Negus Way and Ninth Street was blocked, and police urged drivers to use alternate routes.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

A dozen career firefighters and six volunteers were called out. Mutual-aid assistance was provided by Bend Fire & Rescue, with an ambulance on standby, as well as Redmond police and public works and Pacific Power.