Quick action douses fire at Sisters home

Firefighters credit quick action by a homeowner who spotted smoke in the kitchen and called 9-1-1 for keeping damage to a minimum in a house fire on Monday.

The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District was dispatched to a structure fire at 11:33 a.m. on Monday, May 7. The fire was located at a residence on the 600 block of South Redwood Street in Pine Meadow Village.

The two-story home had visible smoke within the structure and all occupants had evacuated. The homeowner reported that the dishwasher appliance was smoking, and an attempt was made to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher prior to evacuating the home. A Deschutes County Sheriff Deputy also entered the home and knocked down the fire with a fire extinguisher prior to fire department arrival. Automatic mutual aid assistance from the Black Butte Ranch Fire District was dispatched to the fire, but was cancelled by the incident commander prior to arriving at the incident.

Fire investigators report that the fire was caused by dishwasher's electrical pump motor. The fire resulted in a total loss of the dishwasher, damage to the adjacent cabinetry and some smoke damage to the home.

The homeowner's quick action to call 9-1-1 saved the home from more extensive damage, according to deputy fire chiefs Jeremy Ast and Ryan Karjala.

"The home's smoke detectors were in proper working order, however the smoke was noticed by the homeowner before they activated, Ast stated in a prepared release. "Had this fire occurred when the occupants were asleep, the smoke detectors would have likely saved their lives."

The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District would like to stress the importance of working smoke detectors. Smoke detectors should be cleaned and tested regularly, batteries replaced annually, and the detectors replaced every 10 years. If you need smoke detectors installed in your home free of charge, call 541-549-0771 for more information.