Lightning strike ignites house fire in DRW
A Deschutes River Woods homeowner, jolted awake by a lightning strike early Wednesday morning, soon noticed an odd odor and called in firefighters, who found that the bolt had sparked a small fire in the garage, officials said.
As thunderstorms rumbled through the Bend area early Wednesday, a Bend fire engine responded to 59946 Minnetonka Circle around 2:15 a.m. on a reported lightning strike, said fire Capt. Darrel Levine.
The homeowner, Roger Oleman, reported a strange smell about 20 minutes after the lightning awakened him, Levine said.
An inspection of the home’s interior found fairly dense smoke in the garage, so a full structural fire response was called in.
A small fire was found at ceiling level in the garage and extinguished, Levine said. Crews found no extension of the fire above the exposed insulation in the garage, attic space or living quarters, he added.
Levine said the fire apparently was caused when lightning struck a tree close to the house, then extended through an opening in the siding and ignited the paper and foil layer of fiberglass insulation.
Losses were estimated at $1,500.
The unfinished garage did not have a fire-resistant material such as Sheetrock, leaving the structural members exposed, Levine said. He added that firefighters urge homeowners to complete unfinished areas to comply with current building code whenever possible.
