Fire heavily damages home along O’Neil Way northeast of Redmond; cause under investigation

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Authorities are looking for the cause of a fire that heavily damaged a home on O’Neil Way northeast of Redmond Thursday morning, but firefighters kept it from spreading to nearby vegetation and also were able to save some personal belongings.

Redmond Fire & Rescue crews were sent around 10:30 a.m. to the structure fire in the 4700 block of Northeast O’Neil Way, Fire Marshal/Public Information Officer Tom Mooney said. Firefighters spotted the large smoke column from a distance on their way to the scene.

The first engine crews to arrive “were net with a large volume of fire and made an aggressive attack to keep the fire from spreading to nearby vegetation,” Mooney said in a news release.

Due to the area not having fire hydrants, Mooney said water tenders were used to bring in water to help control and extinguish the fire.

No residents or firefighters were injured.

"While firefighters were able to bring the fire under control, a significant portion of the residence was damaged and is uninhabitable," the fire marshal said.

Because the fire was close to O'Neil Highway, ODOT crews provided traffic control until firefighters were able to clear the scene. 

Mooney said fire investigators were examining the fire scene, interviewing witnesses and examining fire patterns to determine the origin and cause of the blaze.    

Redmond Fire & Rescue was assisted by Crooked River Ranch Fire, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office and ODOT.

"Redmond Fire & Rescue would like to remind residents to always check to make sure your smoke alarms are working properly and that you have and practiced an escape plan," Mooney said.