Gas vapors ignite NW Bend motor home fire

Gas vapors ignited and sparked a fire Tuesday that destroyed a motor home parked in an alley behind a northwest Bend home, but fire crews were able to keep the flames from spreading to the home, officials said.

Bend fire crews responded around 11:40 a.m. to the reported motor home fire very close to a home at 2198 Monterey Pines Drive, as a fire in the engine compartment was spreading, said Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki.

Crews were able to quickly put out the fire before it had a chance to spread to the home, Derlacki said.

The motor home had been parked in the alleyway for storage, and the owner was trying to start it by priming the carburetor with gasoline. Derlacki said the gas vapors ignited and quickly spread to the engine compartment.

The owner, Pam Price, quickly called 911 before trying to extinguish the fire on her own, the fire official said. That allowed firefighters to quickly arrive and put it out. Any delay would have resulted in the fire spreading to the adjacent home, he said.

The fire official reminded residents to be very careful when trying to prime a carburetor on any vehicle or engine. Both gasoline and starter fluid are highly flammable, Derlacki said, and will combust in the engine compartment if exposed to an ignition source such as electrical wiring, turning over the engine, etc.

He said owners should follow all of the manufacturers’ recommendations and precautions.