Tumalo-area house fire rekindles, hours after crews clear scene; losses rise to $265,000

(Update: Bend Fire crews return after smoldering material ignites)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A fire broke out Thursday night in the attic of a Tumalo-area home that had lost power, causing an estimated $100,000 damage before it was knocked down quickly by Bend Fire & Rescue crews, working in fog and bitter cold. But it rekindled Friday morning, causing more extensive damage.

Crews were dispatched shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday to the reported structure fire in the 64800 block of Grande Loop, Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering said.

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

According to the property owner, the power had gone out to the home and they contacted Central Electric Cooperative around 9 p.m., believing it to be a neighborhood outage, and went to bed, the fire official said.

When a CEC technician arrived on site just before 10 p.m., he found smoke coming from the home’s roofline, called 911 and helped the homeowner and two dogs safely evacuate the home, Kettering said.

American Red Cross assistance was declined by the homeowner. Initial losses were estimated at $80,000 to the structure and $20,000 to the contents.

Kettering said crews conducted overhaul, checking all void areas to ensure burning material was fully extinguished. They cleared the scene around 1:30 a.m.

Shortly after 6 a.m., Deschutes County 911 received several calls of a fire at the home, and crews returned to find flames coming from the roof, which they extinguished.

“The cause of the initial fire was determined to be an electrical fire originating in the attic space,” Kettering said. “The secondary fire was determined to be smoldering material.”

The revised damages were estimated at $180,000 to the structure, $60,000 in contents and a $25,000 vehicle loss.