Fire heavily damages century-old Madras home; bystander spots smoke, alerts occupants, who escape unhurt

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A more than century-old Madras home was heavily damaged Saturday morning by an attic fire traced to faulty wiring for a light fixture, but a bystander knocked on the door to alert the occupants, who escaped the burning home unharmed, along with their pets.

Jefferson County Fire & EMS crews were called around 8:15 a.m. to the blaze in the 200 block of Southeast Seventh Street, at a home owned by the Jefferson County Library District, Fire Chief Jeff Blake said. It was the second of three calls for fire crews in less than 30 minutes.

No injuries were reported, but the attic fire and smoke damage in the interior has left the home uninhabitable, Blake said.

The home was built in 1915, county property tax records show. The occupant was a house-sitter for the home's renter.

Blake estimated damages at $55,000 to the home and $15,000 in contents. The renter and library district had insurance coverage for the structure, he said.

The first crews to arrive responded from another structure fire call that turned out to be an LED light bulb that had started melting, the fire chief said. The third call in the brief time period was a medical call in which a patient was taken to the hospital.

“Thankfully, we had appropriate staffing to handle the calls, and personnel and volunteers responded from home to assist the firefighting effort,” Blake said. “We are seeing more and more multiple calls happening within a short time period.”

The fire chief thanked Madras Police, Pacific Power, Cascade Natural Gas and Warm Springs fire for their assistance.