Family escapes burning home south of Sunriver

A family of five safely fled their burning home between Sunriver and La Pine Monday morning when they heard noises and smelled the blaze that began at their propane water heater, La Pine fire officials said.

The cause of the water heater fire, reported around 8:40 a.m., was under investigation at the home of Leigh and Allison Ulrich and their three daughters at 17172 Island Loop Way, in the Deschutes River Recreation Homesites subdivision, said La Pine Rural Fire Protection District Chief Mike Supkis.

The fire had extended through a second-story wall and into the attic of the home, Supkis said. The family called 911 to report smoke and fire in the attic.

Leigh Ulrich walked around the home and found where the fire was burning out of the wall and into the attic, then “used a nearby garden hose to significantly slow the progress of the fire,” Supkis said in a news release.

Nine La Pine firefighters responded, with two engines and a tender, while Sunriver Fire responded with a fire crew and ladder truck. Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies also responded.

The fire was controlled in less than a half-hour, he said, and crews used thermal imaging cameras to check for any extensions. The house is insured, and the damage won’t displace the residents, the fire chief added.

The home has working smoke detectors, he said, but the family found the fire on the home’s exterior before the alarms sounded.

While the fire was traced to the propane water heater, the reason it caught fire remains under investigation, he said.