A fire, likely sparked from combustibles left near a propane heater, spread from a garage and damaged a house in Bend on Friday evening.
The Bend Fire Department responded at 6:59 p.m. to the fire at 19483 Apache Road. The attached garage was fully engulfed and spreading to the attic and interior of the house when firefighters arrived. Firefighters had it extinguished after 25 minutes.
The investigation has been completed, and the fire likely started because combustibles were too close to a portable propane heater in the garage, according to a fire department statement Saturday.
The occupants were working on a vehicle in the garage and left materials to close to the heater, which ignited, according to the fire department.
The department recommends keeping at least three feet of space between heaters and combustibles like paper, wood, fabrics and furniture.
The occupants, Casey Bergum and Jaqueline Dodd-Perry, lost nearly all the property within the house, which was left uninhabitable due to fire damage, according to the fire department. The occupants had renter’s insurance. The owner of the house is Don Aasland, according to the fire department.
Damage to the building was estimated at $125,000, with the building value estimated at $250,000. The estimated loss of property within the house is about $125,000, with another $1,000 in damage to a vehicle, according to the fire department.
— Bulletin staff report