Bend firefighters responded early Tuesday to a structure fire just west of the Bend Parkway and north of the Revere exit. First arriving crews found a large house on fire at 1933 NW Hill Street and began suppression efforts. The fire, which originated on the exterior of the home, burned up the siding and into the attic and void spaces of the structure, resulting in a fire that was both stubborn and challenging to extinguish. Crews remained on scene until approximately 0930 completing extinguishment, and will recheck the structure periodically throughout the day.
The 2,600 square foot structure, which was built in 1920, was formerly a care home and had multiple bedrooms. The home was occupied at the time of the fire by eight adult tenants, all of whom were displaced and are receiving assistance from the Red Cross. Losses are estimated at $400,000 to the structure and $200,000 to the contents.
Upon investigation, it was found that cigarettes were improperly discarded into a combustible container on the front deck area of the home. The fire smoldered for several hours, one tenant reported he thought he smelled smoke at approximately 11:30 pm prior to going to bed but dismissed it as drift smoke from a wildfire. The fire smoldered undetected, consuming the deck area and traveling up the exterior siding into the attic space. While the home did have smoke alarms, it does not appear that they operated. One of the tenants woke up smelling smoke and alerted the other occupants to the fire.
This could have been a far different outcome had one of the tenants not awakened to the smell of smoke. In 2022 there were 3,790 civilian fire deaths and 13,250 injuries due to home structure fires. A smoke alarm can double your chances of surviving a fire, but only if it is working properly. Smoke alarms are designed to last about 10 years, after that they can start malfunctioning or may quit working altogether. Bend Fire & Rescue has programs aimed at ensuring that EVERY HOME has at least one working smoke alarm. For more information, visit our website at https://www.bendoregon.gov/
