Smoke alarms help La Pine-area family escape fire spreading from large shop into home

Several vehicles burn, propane tanks explode off Lazy River Drive; cause 'not considered suspicious'

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – Smoke alarms awakened a family of five early Thursday morning as a fire in their large shop complex was spreading into their home on Lazy River Drive north of La Pine.

La Pine Rural Fire District firefighters responded around 5:35 a.m. to the fire at 55415 Lazy River Drive, Fire Chief Mike Supkis said.

The home had working smoke detectors, he said, and the family of two adults and three children escaped safely.

Crews arrived to find the shop complex fully ablaze, along with several vehicles on fire and propane tanks and other items exploding, Supkis said.

They were able to quickly stop the fire that was spreading into the home, then knock down the main body of the fire with a heavy stream, also protecting several vehicles and barns from the flames. Supkis said water tenders shuttled more than 18,000 gallons of water to the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but is “not considered suspicious at this time,” Supkis said in a news release.

The property and family are uninsured, he added, noting that the American Red Cross is assisting and can be contacted to offer further help to the family.

A total of 18 firefighters responded with two engines and three water tenders, as well as four members of the fire district’s support team. Crews worked for three hours on the scene, with no injuries reported. It was the area’s third major structure fire in less than a week, after two blazes on Antler Lane.

The Sunriver Fire Department provided an engine and assistance. Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies also responded and Lazy River Drive was closed due to the size of the fire, exploding items and heavy fire vehicle traffic.