Bend FD: Fire at News & Smokes likely from cigarette

A small fire on a wall outside the business News & Smokes on Northeast Third Street in Bend was quickly extinguished early Wednesday and apparently was sparked by a cigarette improperly discarded in bark dust, fire officials said.

Firefighters responded shortly after 7 a.m. to the reported structure fire at 2139 Northeast Third Street, said Bend Fire Battalion Chief Dave Howe.

They arrived to find the building under renovation and a small fire in the wall at the rear of the structure, Howe said. Crews quickly extinguished the fire and opened up the wall to ensure the fire had not extended into other parts of the building.

The “most probable cause,” Howe said, was an improperly discarded cigarette that ignited bark dust up against the wall. The smoldering bark dust then caught the wooden siding on fire, and from there it traveled into the wall.

Damage was limited to a wall in the wall and smoke damage through the building. The losses were estimated at $5,000.

The Bend Fire Department reminded the community to leave six to 12 inches between landscaping bark and combustible structural components such as wooden siding.