Late-night fire destroys SW Redmond duplex unit; no injuries

(Update: Adding video, neighbor's comment, cause)

$175,000 in damage; cause under investigation

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A fire late Saturday night destroyed one unit of a southwest Redmond duplex, but firefighters were able to limit damage to the adjoining unit, officials said Sunday.

Redmond Fire & Rescue units were called just before midnight to the reported attic fire at a duplex in the 1700 block of Southwest Metolius Avenue, Battalion Chief Ken Brown said.

No one was home in either duplex at the time of the fire, Brown said.

Arriving crews saw flames coming through the roof of the unit, established a water supply, deployed hose lines and attacked the blaze, while others searched the second duplex unit to make sure no one was inside.

Once the fire was knocked down, firefighters began extensive overhaul on the unit, which was a total loss, and salvage work on the other unit, which sustained minor smoke and water damage.

There were no reported injuries, Brown said, and a neighbor said a missing cat was found safe in the garage. He said the heat of the fire blew out one side of his double-pane windows.

Richard Martinez, another neighbor who lives across the street, said Sunday he'd just put his son to bed when he noticed emergency vehicles rushing into the neighborhood, took a look outside and saw the flames.

"There was a lot of commotion, neighbors were panicking, looked like they were loading up, trying to get out in case it jumped, because it was huge," he said. "I didn't know which house it was -- it looked like it was multiples."

The fire caused an estimated $175,000 in losses to the building and contents.

Investigators said the fire's cause was determined to be improper storage of smoking materials.

Mutual-aid assistance was provided by Bend Fire & Rescue, Cloverdale Fire, Pacific Power and Redmond Police, Brown said.