Close call: Sounds awaken Tumalo family, who escape late-night house fire but are left displaced
KTVZ
(Update: Adding video)
TUMALO, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Tumalo family of five and their pets escaped their burning manufactured home late late Monday night, but were displaced by the blaze that officials traced to a woodstove pipe’s radiant heat.
Bend Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched at 11:46 p.m. to the fire in a home behind Three Sisters Adventist School, off Tumalo Road, Deputy Fire Marshal Melissa Steele said.
A resident reported being awakened to what sounded like a “hailstorm,” Steele said. She didn’t see any fire inside the home, but when she went outside, she found flames coming from beneath the eaves and roof near the woodstove stovepipe, the fire official said.
The home’s smoke alarms did not sound because there was no smoke in the home, Steele added.
But due to their quick action, five residents, including three children, and several pets were able to quickly escape the home, she said.
Steele said the fire was ignited from the radiant heat of the woodstove pipe that was too close to the wooden facia board of the eaves. The stove pipe melted the vinyl rain gutter and ignited the eaves, which spread to the attic.
The fire was contained and did not spread to the interior of the home, Steele said, but water and roof damage maded the home uninhabitable.
The building loss was estimated at $65,000 and content losses at $25,000.
“We want to remind residents that having a home fire escape plan can be crucial in being able to escape quickly and safely from a house fire,” Steele said in a news release. “Always have a plan for your family and pets.
For help information in creating, practicing and implementing a home fire escape plan with your family, contact Bend Fire & Rescue.