Crooked River Ranch fire destroys garage, vehicles

A detached garage was destroyed in a fire on Crooked River Ranch Tuesday evening that also spread to the deck of a nearby manufactured home, but firefighters kept it from causing major damage to the home itself, officials said. Estimated losses totaled nearly $140,000.

Crooked River Ranch Fire & Rescue was called around 6:20 p.m. to the property in the 8600 block of Southwest Crater Loop Road, Assistant Fire Chief Sean Hartley said.

They arrived to find the detached garage fully ablaze, with fire spreading to the manufactured home’s deck. Crews protected the home, which received only minor heat damage, and stopped the fire’s spread to surrounding brush.

Bystanders reported hearing explosions from the garage before fire crews arrived, Hartley said. The homeowner’s son called 911 after finding a vehicle on fire in the garage and the fire spreading rapidly.

The building was a total loss, estimated at $58,000. An estimated $80,000 in contents also were a total loss, including three vehicles in the garage, Hartley said.

A malfunctioning vehicle in the garage was the fire’s probable cause, he said, adding that there were no injuries or rescues at the scene.

A total of 17 career and volunteer firefighters with CRR Fire received mutual-aid assistance from the Cloverdale and Redmond fire agencies, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and Pacific Power.

While it didn’t affect response to this fire, Hartley reminded citizens to call 911 when they see an emergency and not to call the fire station directly.des