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Bend Fire Department was called to a fire on the exterior of a commercial building at 9:30 this evening. Multiple 911 calls reported a fire behind the warehouses and businesses at NE 1St St and NE Olney Ave. The occupant of 147 NE Olney Ave was working on prepping the space for her new business when she heard several bangs outside the building. When she came out ash was falling in the parking lot and she immediately called 911. Fire crews were able to get the fire stopped before it could spread inside the building it was adjacent to and keep it from the two neighboring buildings. Damage to the building is estimated to be $50,000.
The remains of an encampment were found burned up in the fire behind the building. Its unclear at this time the exact cause of the fire but it is related to the camp. The investigation is ongoing. The fire only caused minor damage to both the building at 147 NE Olney Ave and the building to the west of it. The quick reaction of the occupant saved Her’s and neighboring buildings.
Hampering fire suppression and allowing the fire to spread was a accumulation of pallets, wood, stored materials, and flammable vegetation on all three properties involved. Creating a defensible space around your home and business isn’t just for wildfire safety, it can help prevent the spread of any type of fire to your building. Keeping combustible vegetation at least 5 feet back from the building and preventing the buildup of combustible storage, especially in inaccessible areas, can greatly increase the safety of your home and business. In this case, the two buildings along NE 2nd St had wood material stacked up between and behind their buildings. The building behind the fire off NE 1st St had dense juniper bushes right up against the building in an area with only 10 feet between the buildings. The juniper bushes caught fire and broke out one of the windows in the back building. Had this fire not been caught as early as it was the potential that all three buildings would have burned is very high. If you have any questions or would like a free assessment of your home or business, please call our office at 541-322-6300.