$200K early-morning fire destroys shop/storage building east of Bend, damages home; cause undetermined

(Update: Cause could not be determined; damage includes loss of vehicles)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A fire early Sunday morning destroyed a shop/storage building on Rickard Road east of Bend and spread to the exterior of a nearby home, causing $200,000 damage and losses and leaving the home unlivable, a Bend Fire & Rescue official said.

Bend Fire crews were dispatched around 12:45 a.m. to the reported structure fire in the 21000 block of Rickard Road, Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering said. Initial reports were of a barn fire that was spreading to a nearby home.

Crews arrived to find a 1,400-square-foot shop/storage building fully ablaze, with flames extending to nearby trees, vegetation and the exterior of a small home nearby.

Firefighters quickly knocked down the blaze, taking a defensive stance on the shop structure while protecting nearby structures, Kettering said.

A neighbor told us "our dogs woke us up" to the nearby blaze and that they heard "multiple explosions."

The shop and contents were a complete loss. Kettering said the fire did not do significant damage to the home’s interior, the structure was not livable.

The $200,000 loss estimate includes the shop/storage building, the exterior of the small home, a small tractor, a passenger car, two pickup trucks and two small travel trailers, along with personal items stored in the building.

The resident declined American Red Cross disaster assistance, Kettering said.

Kettering said later Sunday that due to the severity of the damage to the shop building, the exact cause of the fire could not be determined.

"Bend Fire & Rescue would like to remind the community that working smoke alarms save lives," Kettering said in her update.  

"In this case, only a single smoke alarm was present in the home, the other having been removed when it malfunctioned recently," she said. "Fortunately, the occupant was awakened by the fire when they heard what sounded like a large object falling outside, but a working smoke alarm is still the best way to get an early warning and have time to safely evacuate.

"Not sure if yours work?  Check them today, and if they're more than 10 years old, replace the entire alarm.  For more information on home fire safety, visit our website at https://www.bendoregon.gov/government/departments/fire-rescue/safety-tips-emergency-preparedness.