Passer-by, police keep Madras duplex fire small

A passer-by’s pounding on a neighbor’s door and a Madras police officer’s use of a garden hose kept a small porch fire that damaged a vacant southeast Madras duplex early Friday from possibly getting much larger, officials said.

The neighbor of the unoccupied duplex at 496 SE Ninth Street was awakened around 4:45 a.m. by the pounding on her door by someone alerting her of the next-door fire, said Jefferson County Fire District No. 1 Assistant Chief Tom Jaca.

The woman called 911 dispatchers, and soon a Madras police officer made sure occupants were out and “started up a garden hose and sprayed water” on the blaze before fire crews arrived, Jaca said.

As a result, damage was limited to $2,000 on the porch and front wall, not reaching the attic or the rest of the living area, the assistant chief said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Jaca said.