NW Bend chicken coop burns; chickens flee to safety

All of the chickens ran to safety but their coop was lost in a fire near a northwest Bend home early Sunday, sparked when a heat lamp fell into wood shavings, firefighters said.

Fire crews responded to the reported fire around 4:50 a.m. at a home at 707 NW Sonora Avenue, said Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki.

They arrived to find a chicken coop ablaze, separate from the house, Derlacki said. They quickly extinguished the fire, finding that a head lamp had fallen into wood shavings used as ground cover.

The shavings smoldered for a while, until the fire extended to the entire chicken coop, he said. All of the chickens were able to escape into the fenced area around the coop.

Damage was limited to $250.

Derlacki said the Bend Fire Department reminds everyone that uses a heat lamp for their pets to heed a few safety warnings that will help prevent a fire at your home:

– Properly secure the a heat lamp to prevent it from falling – the basic clip-on heat
lamp shades can fall very easily, especially after they have heated up and the clamp
loses its grip due to being warmed up and the metal expanding slightly

– Keep combustibles away from the heat source – whether its straw or saw dust, keep it away from the heat to prevent a fire

– Ensure all electrical cords used for power are in good condition and are heavy duty
enough to support the power being used for the lights and heat

– Check in on the coop regularly to ensure nothing has changed that may cause a fire, such as the heat lamp falling or electrical cords getting pinched.