Investigators: Electrical failure caused NW Redmond house fire

(Update: Fire’s cause determined as electrical)

Investigators said an electrical failure sparked a house fire early Wednesday morning that caused $200,000 damage to a northwest Redmond home. The residents escaped with no serious injuries, but a dog perished in the blaze.

A call to Deschutes County 911 around 3:10 a.m. brought firefighters and officers to the reported fire in a home in the 700 block of Northwest Maple Avenue, said police Lt. Curtis Chambers and Fire Marshal Traci Cooper

Crews arrived to find the one-story home with smoke and fire extending through the roof and threatening another structure to the south, Cooper said. Also, a power line was down and arcing at the rear of the home.

Renter Robert Griswold told NewsChannel 21 he awakened with a stuffy nose and initially thought the smoke was from wildfires but quickly learned otherwise, seeing the fire’s glow reflecting from his window. He called 911 and evacuated with his son.

Cooper said a resident self-transported to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, while a dog died in the fire.

Nearly a dozen firefighters on scene protected the exposures, then extinguished and overhauled the fire, the fire marshal said. Utilities were disconnected and the investigation into the fire’s cause began.

Chambers said firefighters left the scene around 5:30 a.m., later returning to continue mopping up the scene.

Deputy Fire Marshal Clara Butler said Wednesday afternoon the cause was found to be a failure in the electrical wiring at an outlet on the back side of the house. The resulting fire burned through the power lines and cable wiring as well, she added.