Smoke alarm awakens NW Bend resident to attic fire in century-old home

Cause traced to woodstove pipe too close to structural members

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A smoke alarm awakened a northwest Bend resident early Saturday to a fire in the attic of a small, more than century-old home, traced to a woodstove pipe too close to structural members, a fire official said.

Bend Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched shortly before 4 a.m. to the reported structure fire in the 100 block of Northwest Broadway Street, Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering said.

The caller reported being awakened by the smoke alarm and seeing flames coming from the top of an interior wall, behind the woodstove, Kettering said.

The first crews to arrive found an attic fire and were able to quickly suppress it, she said.

Losses are estimated at $8,000 to the 408-square-foot home, built in 1915 and headed by a small woodstove in the living room.

Kettering said in investigation determined the fire was caused by a stove pipe installed too close to structural members. Also, she said, the stove pipe’s ceiling plate was made of reused metal roofing material, which may have conducted heat to the adjacent structural components.

"Bend Fire & Rescue would like to remind the community that working smoke alarms save lives!" Kettering wrote in a news release. "Had there not been a properly installed and working smoke alarm in this home, the outcome could have been far different. 

"If your smoke alarms are older than 10 years, they need to be replaced," she continued. "If you can't afford smoke alarms, contact your local fire agency as many fire departments offer smoke alarm installation."

Visit www.bendoregon.gov/government/departments/fire-rescue/safety-tips-emergency-preparedness/year-round-safety-tips for more information on smoke alarms and other important home safety tips.