Recent RV fire near China Hat Road south of Bend sparks fire safety concerns

Recent RV fire burned 200 yards from resident's home

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- After moving into his home in the Lost Tracks subdivision of Bend six months ago, Hari Khalsa had a scary experience last Tuesday morning.

About 200 yards from his house, Khalsa discovered an RV engulfed in flames, parked on Forest Service property.

With the growing number of illegal campers in the woods along China Hat Road, he said fires and the danger they pose are becoming a bigger concern. 

He said he and his neighbors are worried about their safety, especially with wildfire season approaching.

"I heard four explosions earlier that morning, when I was in my office, and they didn’t quite sound like gunshots," Khalsa said Monday. "I heard gunshots out here before, and gunshots are much sharper, and this sound was more like a hollow boom.”

Fortunately, Bend Fire & Rescue crews arrived shortly afterward to put out the flames. 

"We hustled as much as we could to get over to find out what was burning," Khalsa said. "Fortunately, there was nobody in the van. I think that had that happened in the middle of summer and had I not been awake, perhaps it would have been a big fire.”

Khalsa said a young woman, likely in her 30s, was living in the RV that had been there for the past five months.

The aftermath of the fire didn't leave much to salvage. Remnants included propane tanks and children's clothing.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office said they’ve received at least 18 fire-related calls in the past year in the China Hat area.

"I think more frequent flushing out of campers would be helpful," Khalsa said.

He only hopes this situation doesn’t repeat itself, or worse.

"It's something that's urgent for all of the people that live out in this area of town, because of the potential for fire, and I think that’s our biggest issue.”