Fire destroys tent at Madras homeless camp; Jefferson County fire crews keep it from reaching others

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A fire destroyed a tent and belongings in a homeless camp area in Madras Thursday afternoon, but Jefferson County Fire & EMS crews kept it from spreading to other tents and items, officials said.

Firefighters were dispatched around 2:30 p.m. to a reported wildland fire with a propane tank going off behind the Sonic Drive-In on NW Fourth Street, Firefighter-Paramedic Kirk Hagman said.

Two engine crews arrived and found an 8-by-10-foot tank engulfed in flames and several other tents and items threatened. They pulled an attack line and put out the blaze, Hagman said.

Crews had to cross Willow Creek with a hose line to extinguish the fire due to limited access to the area.

No residents were on scene at the time of the fire, he said, adding that investigators were unable to determine the fire’s cause.

The fire was confined to one tent, and all property in that tent and some outside was a complete loss.