News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A heating cord is likely to blame for a fire that destroyed the roof of a Sisters area home on Sunday night, August 28.
According to Sisters Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler, the fire at 70825 Indian Ford Road was confined to a wood shake roof on a home that he believes dates back to the 1920s.
“The roof is pretty much gone,” he said. “There’s not much damage inside other than smoke damage.”
Wheeler said there was relatively little water spillage into the home.
“I’m guessing maybe 50 gallons total,” he said. “There was some water damage, but not much.”
Wheeler said a rough estimate of damage comes out to about $23,000, but that is subject to change as insurance adjusters inspect the home.
According to the Fire Marshal, the likely cause of the fire can be traced to a heating cord that had been plugged in for some three years to melt snow and ice off the roof.
“When the temperatures dipped down into the 30s the last couple of nights” the cord heated up, then apparently did not shut off, Wheeler said.
Owner Craig May and his wife caught a bit of a lucky break that may have saved the home from greater damage or even complete destruction.
At about 7:23 p.m., “the people had just come back from vacation and as they were pulling into the driveway (the fire) was taking off.”
He said the homeowners “were very lucky.”
Three engines and three tenders responded from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District (RFPD). There were 16 Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD firefighters on the scene and four Black Butte Ranch RFPD firefighters also responded.
A U.S. Forest Service engine also responded to the scene.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)