Woman flees house fire near Prineville; 2 cats revived

A smoke alarm awakened and alerted a woman to a fire that extensively damaged her home northeast of Prineville late Saturday night, officials said. Fire crews were able to resuscitate two cats that suffered smoke inhalation, officials said.

Crook County Fire and Rescue was dispatched to the possible house fire shortly before 11:30 p.m., said Fire Chief Matt Smith, declining to release the specific location.

The home’s female occupant awoke to the smoke detectors sounding and quickly left and called 911, Smith said.

Crews arrived to find smoke coming from the house and a fire burning in the crawl space underneath it. Nine firefighters worked for over an hour to bring the fire under control, as access to the crawl space area posed a challenge, Smith said.

The fire caused extensive damage to the home, and while no human injuries were reported, Smith said the two cats “appear to be okay.”

The fire began in the area of a forced-air heating unit, but Smith said the exact cause was not known.