Bend fire officials still seek cause of Sonic Drive-In fire

(Update: More from fire officials; more photos in gallery, livestream video)

While Bend fire investigators continued to look Monday for the cause of a weekend blaze that destroyed the Sonic Drive-In restaurant on Bend’s south side, the company said its franchisee hopes to rebuild in the same spot.

Bend fire officials said Monday they were continuing to look for what sparked the destructive blaze early Sunday morning.

In a company statement, Sonic Director of Communications Kristin Davis said, “The franchisee who owns and operates this location is thankful the fire occurred before business hours, there was only one employee present at the time and there were no injuries.”

“We appreciate the community’s support of the drive-in since its opening in 2015,” Davis said. “At this time, the franchisee hopes to rebuild the drive-in in the same location. All employees have been offered positions at a nearby Sonic.”

Bend Fire crews were called to the fast-food spot near Walmart along South Highway 97 just after 6:30 a.m. Sunday, and soon tall flames and black smoke could be seen billowing from the structure.

Deputy Fire Marshal Susie Maniscalco said the fire was discovered by the manager who had gone inside the building but was able to escape and call 911.

” Crews arrived to find black, heavy smoke rolling out from under the roof and went into defensive attack, ” Maniscalco said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. The building was a total loss, with losses estimated at $601,000 to the building and $200,000 worth of contents.

Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said the fire was in the attic when crews arrived, but they have not determined when in the building it began.

More than 20 firefighters were called in to help battle the blaze, including two engines and a ladder truck, while Redmond and Sunriver fire departments sent crews to help staff stations.

Bend Public Works, Bend Police and Cascade Natural Gas assisted with securing the scene, Maniscalco said.

Fire crews were delayed getting inside as the building’s roof collapsed during the firefighting effort. Thick smoke billowed as crews poured water onto the structure, including from a ladder above.

It was one of two Sonics in Bend. The other is located on N. Highway 97 at Empire Avenue.

Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said the building had no smoke alarms or alarm system, as the restaurant manager said nothing was sounding when he was inside.

” Fire alarms are driven by square footage and occupant load in the fire and building codes, ” the fire official explained. ” Fire sprinklers are by those and building construction types. Sometimes the building insurance companies may require alarms for loss prevention. ”

” It’s not common for small restaurants like this to have sprinklers or alarms, ” Derlacki said. ” I can only think of a couple (of) fast food (restaurants) that have them in town. The kitchen cooking is protected by a suppression system, but not the rest of the building. That system only puts out cooking fires and wouldn’t have activated in this type of fire. ‘

Maniscalco added, ” By building code, this business was not required to install fire sprinklers, based on its occupancy type (business) and square footage. Sometimes owners elect to install them, even though they aren’t required, in order to protect their investment, but not so in this case. ” ‘

Derlacki said fire officials use the term ” smoke alarms ” to describe the devices that alert residents of smoke, while ” smoke detectors are part of an alarm system that detects smoke and alerts the system but don’t make noise themselves. ”