Gusty winds send carport, shed flying on Tumalo Road property, sparking power line arc, fire

TUMALO, Ore. (KTVZ) – Winds gusting to 30 mph blew a carport 50 feet away and a shed about 20 feet in the air and into power lines on a Tumalo Road property Saturday evening, in turn sparking a fire that neighbors tackled with extinguishers before Bend Fire crews arrived.

A structure fire was reported by neighbors near an outbuilding and house around 5:20 p.m. in the 20900 block of Tumalo Road, Bend Fire Inspector/Investigator Jason Kamperman said.

The neighbors spotted a fire near a shed-type building about 30 feet from a home, used available fire extinguishers “and knocked down the fire significantly,” Kamperman said.

Four Bend Fire units quickly arrived on scene and continued efforts to put out the fire, also beginning an investigation. They learned the residents had left the property less than an hour earlier and were returning when contacted by Bend Fire.

The fire was determined to be caused by high winds about 30 mph, that blew a metal carport-style frame and cover about 50 feet from its original location. The shed was lifted about 20 feet in the air, up into two overhead power lines, Kamperman said.

The shed and vinyl tarp material came into contact with the power lines, which caused an arc and ignited the vinyl tarp material. The shed, meanwhile, landed in some dry grass near an outbuilding, and the fire quickly spread to nearby lawn equipment and construction materials inside a wooden shed.

Two power lines were damaged by the shed and electrical arc. Pacific Power was contacted and quickly sent on-call personnel to repair the power lines.

Kamperman said damage to the property was estimated at $5,000.

"With hot and dry conditions that we are currently experiencing, it is always a good idea to keep combustible vegetation to a minimum," Kamperman said. "Dry vegetation can quickly spread fire to nearby structures or other materials. It is recommended that dry vegetation be removed within 30 feet minimum of a structure to reduce the risk of fire spreading to other combustible materials."