La Pine motor home fire spreads to home, shop

(Update: Other dogs saved from burning home)

Two families in La Pine were displaced early Monday when a fire that began in a motor home spread to an adjacent home and shop, also killing two family dogs, officials said.

Several crews from the La Pine Rural Fire Protection District and Sunriver Fire Department were dispatched around 12:15 a.m. to the report of a vehicle fire in the 52000 block of Forest Road, La Pine Assistant Fire Chief Dan Daugherty said in a news release.

Deschutes County dispatchers said a fire was burning in a motor home and threatening an adjacent home and shop.

Crews arrived to find the motor home and nearby shop ablaze and the house partially involved, Daugherty said. The occupant/owners of the home had gotten out safely, he said.

The people using the motor home for temporary housing were not present when firefighters arrived, the fire official said. They reported they had just bought the 1977 RV and had not evaluated all of its heating and electrical systems.

Two of their family dogs were found deceased in the motor home. However, several other dogs were successfully evacuated from the primary residence, he said.

A total of 15 personnel was called out to find and extinguish the fires.

Daugherty said the fire’s cause is believed to be electrical, but the exact cause had not been determined. The homeowner had insurance coverage for the primary structure, he added.

The American Red Cross was contacted to provide disaster assistance for both families.