Fire destroys pole barn shop east of Bend

A fire destroyed a pole barn shop east of Bend Thursday night, causing $90,000 in damage, but officials said passing neighbors who stopped to investigate a glow called 911, bringing fire crews who stopped it before it could spread.

Bend Fire units responded shortly after 9 p.m. to the reported structure fire in the 21000 block of Garcia Lane, off Deschutes Market Road, Battalion Chief David Russell said.

Crews arrived to find the approximately 2,500-square-foot pole barn shop fully ablaze, Russell said. They protected the exposure to nearby buildings, equipment and trailers while extinguishing the blaze.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. Losses were estimated at $50,000 to the structure and $40,000 worth of contents.

The resident of the property was not home at the time and passers-by called in the fire, the fire official said.

Russell praised “the quick action of neighbors who stopped to investigate the glow and call 911.”

“Bend Fire Department would like to thank those citizens willing to look out for their neighbors and call 911 when appropriate,” he said in a news release.