Fire damages riverside vacation rental in downtown Bend

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A vacation rental near the Deschutes River in downtown Bend caught fire Tuesday afternoon when an attic fan overheated, officials said.

Bend Fire and Rescue responded to the call just after 4 p.m. at the Bend Riverside Commons near Pioneer Park and NW Wall Street.

Upon arrival, crews found smoke in one unit of a single-story four-plex. Crews were able to locate the fire and contain the flames within the attic. Portions of the unit's rafters were left charred, Battalion Chief Trish Connolly said.

NewsChannel 21 spoke with property manager Troy Foster, who called in the incident.

"I was just talking to my friend about how the leaves were changing color, and we looked down and flames were coming out of the roof," Foster said.

Foster said the unit did have working smoke alarms, but they did not sound due to the majority of the smoke being contained in the attic.

Connolly said damage is estimated at $5,000 to the building and $5,000 in contents.

The unit is expected to be out of commission for one or two months. No residents were in the rental at the time of the fire.