Firefighters put torch to Sisters house

It may have been pouring rain in Sisters last Saturday, but it was dry and very, very hot inside a house at East Main Ave. and North Fir St.

Some 29 firefighters of the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department and three from the Black Butte Fire Department worked all day burning the house while learning how to safely fight structural fires.

This “Burn to Learn” started at 9 a.m. After three hours of controlling small test fires inside the house and a lunch break on site, Sisters Fire Marshall Dave Wheeler ignited the interior of the 1,500-square-foot house and garage at 1 p.m. While crews applied water with two fire hose lays around the outside of the house, flames quickly spread.

When the fire reached its peak, crackling flames and a tall black smoke column attracted many spectators. In half an hour, the roof and walls were burned and only ground fire remained.

“We had 12 exercises inside the house, each with two trainees and one instructor,” said Assistant Fire Chief Ken Enoch, who served as Incident Commander for the exercise. “Then, we ran about two dozen exterior exercises.”

Each exercise was a carefully choreographed training session with trainees wearing full equipment including breathing apparatus. Both paid staff and volunteer firefighters participated in the training.

Personnel waded through deep puddles of water on the streets and around the house during the heavy rain. Two awnings provided shelter for those directing the exercise and others cooking hamburgers and hot dogs for the crews.

An imagery camera used to locate persons inside burning buildings showed temperatures exceeded 1,100 degrees at the height of the fire.

A block of East Main Avenue south of the house and a block of North Fir Street west of the house were closed during the exercise. Hoses from two engines supplied water during the fire while other engines were parked at the Bank of the Cascades drive-up window area.

A fire resistant cover protected the bank’s ATM machine.

“We average about two of these exercises a year, sometimes more and some years none,” said Captain Gary Lovegren, who served as Logistics Chief, responsible for feeding the firefighters.

“We may turn down some requests to burn structures including mobile homes.”

The structure was the former home of Rev. and Mrs. Rudolf “Duffy” Ylvisaker for nearly 30 years. (See related story on page 17).

The property was purchased last year by the next door neighbor, Bank of the Cascades, for future expansion.

“We have no specific timeline to develop this property,” said bank President Michael Delvin. “We have experienced a wonderful level of growth in the Sisters area and we knew that there will be an eventual need to expand. When the property became available, we purchased it.”