NW Redmond residents escape early-AM fire in home’s crawlspace that caused $85,000 damage

Son smelled smoke; family took down smoke alarm for going off during cooking

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Three residents of a northwest Redmond home and their dogs escaped a fire early Tuesday morning when a family member smelled smoke, a fire official said. The fire caused an estimated $85,000 in damage, and was found to be caused by an electrical wiring failure in the crawlspace.

Redmond Fire & Rescue responded around 1 a.m. to the fire at a home in the 4100 block of NW Xavier Avenue, Fire Marshal/Public Information Officer Tom Mooney said.

The first units on scene were made by the three adult occupants who advised there was smoke coming from the crawlspace, Mooney said. Crews saw light smoke coming from the foundation vents.

Firefighters had to cut several holes in the home’s floor to find and extinguish the blaze, Mooney said.

There were no reported injuries among the three adult family members, and their three dogs were unharmed.

Mooney said the home’s residents had taken their smoke alarm down because it kept going off when they cooked. The couple's son smelled smoke early Tuesday, leading to their safe escape from the home.

"This is a good reminder to always have working smoke alarms in your home and a good escape plan," the fire marshal said in a news release. "If you find your smoke alarm is going off while cooking, look into relocating the smoke alarm further from the kitchen. Never take your smoke alarm down for nuisance alarms."