Alfalfa-area brush fire damages structures, but crews save home

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A brush fire broke out Tuesday afternoon east of Bend in the Alfalfa area, damaging some structures, but was quickly stopped by fire crews before it could reach a nearby home.

Fire Chief Chad LaVallee said the fire, reported around 1:30 p.m., was contained shortly after crews arrived on scene.

"When the crews arrived, we found a couple of structures involved, including a fifth-wheel trailer and a couple of outbuildings," he said. "So the crews made a quick knockdown on the buildings, called for some mutual aid engines from Bend to help us out with some issues and also some crew."

LaVallee said the main structure was saved and the fire was contained to the area of origin.

The Alfalfa Fire District also received aid from BLM crews.

LaVallee added that it was the first big fire in the district this year.

“This would be about the tenth call that we’ve received this fire season," he said. "We’ve gone on some mutual aid fire calls to Warm Springs, the fire in Redmond by the airport. So we’ve gone on a few wildland fires already this season. This would be the first large incident we’ve had out here, for us this year.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The State Fire Marshall's Office has been notified of the fire and will help with the investigation.

The estimated damages is between $10,000 and $15,000.