Madras fire destroys shed, burns part of house

A shed and walkway cover was destroyed by a fire that sent up tall flames visible across Madras late Saturday night, but fire crews saved much of the adjacent, long-vacant house, officials said.

Jefferson County Fire District No. 1 crews were called to the reported structure fire around 11:40 p.m. at 212 SW Fourth Street, said fire district spokeswoman Linda Larson.

The home sits on a small hill behind the Sonic in Madras, so the flames could be seen throughout the area, Larson said, adding that no injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

No one has lived at the L-shaped home for years, except for some transients, Larson said. Only the west section and part of the covered walkway burned, as crews saved the rest.

“The house was starting to smoke, but did not actually flame before they got it cooled,” she said.

It was the second significant structure fire in Madras in days. One mobile home burned and two others had minor damage in a Thursday morning blaze that also caused no injuries but displaced a mother and three children.