Things go wrong – then right – in SE Bend house fire

It only took a moment for things to go wrong Monday afternoon for a southeast Bend resident, as the wind blew bedroom blinds into a resident’s candle, igniting a fire.

But after that, things went right: She heard the smoke alarm go off, quickly grabbed her child and ran outside – and neighbors put a garden hose through the window, snuffing the flames even before firefighters arrived.

Crews responded just after 3 p.m. to the fire in the 20100 block of Lora Lane, said Battalion Chief Dave Howe. They arrived to find light smoke coming from the open upstairs bedroom window of a two-story house, with a garden hose extending inside. The fire was already out, Howe said.

A resident said she had lit a candle, left the room for a moment, heard the smoke alarm and saw smoke coming from the room. She then grabbed her child and ran outside, the official said.

Neighbors used a garden hose to put out the fire from the outside. Firefighters checked for any fire extension and cleared the home of smoke.

“The working smoke alarm alerted the occupant, and she took the correct actions to keep her child and herself safe,” Howe said in a news release.

Damages were limited to the $2,500 to the home and $2,500 to the contents, Howe said, noting that both the homeowner and renter had insurance.

“The Bend Fire Department urges people in our community to ensure smoke alarms are operational, and know what to do in case of a fire,” Howe said. “Maintaining renters insurance will save a lot of headaches if you have a fire.”