Southeast Bend garage fire causes $50,000 damage

A passer-by spotted and called in a garage fire that caused $50,000 damage to a southeast Bend home Friday evening, officials said. The cause was traced to the failure of an outdoor lighting fixture.

Crews responded around 5:45 p.m. to the reported structure fire in the 20800 block of King David Avenue, said Fire Inspector Steve Stenkamp.

Firefighters were able to quickly knock down the fire, limiting damage to the garage area, but the losses still tallied about $40,000 to the structure and $10,000 to the contents.

The occupant had left the home about 20 minutes before the fire was reported. Stenkamp said an observant passer-by spotted light smoke coming from the garage and called 911.