A car fire ignited a garage and moved to a house on 41st Avenue Wednesday afternoon, March 17, prompting a two-alarm response from the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District and causing a “total loss,” Fire Chief Dave Barringer said.
“Basically, there was a car fire in the garage that extended to a porch structure, which was attached to the house,” he said, adding that firefighters were able to save some things from the home, at 1545 41st Ave., owned by Raymond Maynard and his wife, whose name Barringer said was not available. The house would end up totaled, he said.
SHFAD officials estimated the losses at $201,000.
Motors on a boat parked at the site were moderately damaged by heat, he said, as was a pickup truck, which was driven away. Another vehicle was a total loss.
Firefighters responded at 4:38 p.m. with three engines, the ladder truck, a brush rig and an ambulance, and a total of 17 personnel.
“I was pretty pleased with our response size,” Barringer said.
No injuries were reported.
As a cone of black smoke towered in the sky, residents paraded by in a stream of vehicles.
Explosions heard during the blaze were propane tanks, paint cans, tires and some ammunition, Barringer said, adding that when bullets ignite, the power explodes “but nothing’s going anywhere.”
He said the exact cause of the fire was undetermined, but it was clear it started in a vehicle.
Both Lebanon and Halsey provided mutual aid, which worked out “well,” Barringer said, when a critical call for ambulance service was handled by Lebanon.