Hot ashes ignite SW Bend shed fire; quick 911 call, fast firefighter attack keep flames from reaching nearby homes

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A fast firefighter response kept a garden shed fire - sparked by disposed-of hot ashes - from reaching nearby homes in a southwest Bend neighborhood Thursday morning.

Bend Fire & Rescue crews were called out around 11 a.m. to the structure fire near homes in the 61000 block of Chuckanut Drive, in the Romaine Village subdivision, Fire Investigator Jason Kamperman said.

A neighbor alerted the property owner of the shed fire and also called 911, he said.

Crews quickly put out the blaze, but not before it destroyed the shed, damaged a property-line fence and burned parts of several large Ponderosa pines, Kamperman said.

The investigator said they found that hot ashes had been placed on dry compost material near the shed. The ashes, from a fire in a wood-burning appliance the previous night, ignited combustibles and quickly spread to the nearby shed.

Fortunately, Kamperman said, nearby homes were spared danage due to the quick response from fire crews after the neighbor called 911.

Losses were estimated at about $20,000.

Kamperman said, "It is important to dispose of hot ashes from wood burning appliances correctly.  Best practice is to first let ashes cool in the burning appliance for 2-3 days before taking them out.  Then, when they have cooled significantly, place them in a non-combustible container, such as a sturdy metal container with metal lid and leaving in the container, 10 feet away from any combustibles, until completely cool and extinguished. This can take multiple days, or even weeks."

"Ashes taken out of a wood-burning appliance can remain hot enough to ignite combustibles for 4 – 7 days, in some cases even longer, after they have been removed from the source," the fire investigator added in his news release. 

"Even though they may not be smoking or feel hot to the touch, hot embers may be deep inside of ash and remain hot enough to support combustion," Kamperman said, adding: "Never place hot ashes in a plastic or combustible container or near combustible materials prior to ensuring complete extinguishment."