Garage fire breaks out in NE Prineville home; neighbor, off-duty firefighter rescue disabled resident

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A neighbor and an off-duty Bend firefighter rescued a disabled woman after a garage fire broke out in her northeast Prineville home Friday and began filling the home with smoke, a fire official said.

Crook County Fire & Rescue crews were called out shortly before 10 a.m. to a structure fire on Northeast Mariposa Avenue, Division Chief Russ Deboodt said. They arrived to find the small one-story house with a fire in the attached garage and smoke filling the home.

Firefighters cut open the garage door and were able to quickly extinguish the blaze, Deboodt said. The fire was contained to the garage, while the rest of the home had only minor smoke damage.

The neighbor and off-duty firefighter came to the aid of a disabled woman who was unable to get out on her own, the fire official said.

Two people were evaluated for smoke inhalation. Deboodt said fire crews rescued a dog from the structure, but two cats remained unaccounted for.

The cause of the fire was undetermined.

Redmond Fire & Rescue sent an ambulance for patient evaluation and stayed in the district to cover calls while crews were on scene. Pacific Power was called out to turn off power to the home.

Crews also were assisted on the scene by Prineville police, Oregon State Police and the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The American Red Cross was contacted to assist the displaced occupants.