Crews douse La Pine-area, Bend, Redmond fires

Bend firefighters quick doused an attic fire at a southeast Bend home Saturday morning, the third unrelated blaze tackled by crews around Deschutes County in 24 hours.

The worst of the three blazes, reported shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday, heavily damaged one room of a La Pine-area home at 52254 Caribou Road.

La Pine Rural Fire District Capt. Fred Franklin said residents were awakened by noise, smelled smoke, called 911 and evacuated without injury, he said.

Fire Capt. Mark Pautz said 17 personnel responded and were on scene for about three hours. They confined the blaze to the bedroom of origin, with some minor extension into the attic, a nearby bedroom and utility room.

Crews said they suspect the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring in an exterior wall by the room that burned.

American Red Cross officials said they responded to help five adults displaced by the fire, providing assistance with lodging, clothing, food, comfort kits and information about health and mental health services, the organization said.

Franklin said the resident called later to thank firefighters for saving so many of their belongings during the overhaul process.

Then, around 10 a.m. Saturday, Bend fire crews were called to a home at 52 SE Taft Avenue on a report of a faulty exhaust fan motor. The crew arrived to find very light smoke coming from the roof, said Battalion Chief Bill Boos.

Everyone was out of the home when the firefighters arrived, Boos added.

The engine crew investigated and found active fire in the attic, prompting a call-out of more crews, who climbed a ladder to the roof and cut a hole to extinguish a small fire, Boos said.

The blaze caused minor damage to the structure, estimated at $5,000.

Boos said the faulty exhaust fan motor in the bathroom overheated and caught the insulation on fire. He reminded residents who have electrical problems to contact a professional immediately.

On Friday afternoon, Redmond fire crews were called to an outbuilding fire just before 4:30 p.m. in an outbuilding of a home at 7236 SW McVey Ave., said Fire Marshal Traci Cooper.

They arrived to find a fire burning on the exterior of a large metal-sided shop, she said. The fire had burned up under the eave and extended a bit into the concealed space.

Crews were able to quickly put out that fire, with minimal damage and no injuries, Cooper said.

The fire was found to have been caused by a heated water dish placed too close to straw and wood shavings in a dog kennel, Cooper said. A large wooden dog house was destroyed by the blaze.