Firefighters tackle blazes in Sisters

Firefighters took on two different house fires in the Sisters area over two days.

A Sisters area home located at 16275 Riata Court was damaged by fire early Sunday morning.

The 911 call was received shortly after midnight when the occupants of the home noticed the wood shake roof was on fire near the chimney and along the lower edge of the roof where the shake roof was close to the ground. The home was an "A" frame style of home with a steep tall roof that extended from close to the ground to over 20 feet in height.

Firefighters worked 3-1/2 hours extinguishing the fire.

According to Sisters Fire Chief Roger Johnson, 21 firefighters from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, Cloverdale Fire District and Black Butte Ranch Fire District responded to the fire. An off-duty Black Butte Ranch Police officer also responded to the incident.

First-arriving firefighters found a home with fire on the roof and along the ground near the foundation of the home. Firefighters extinguished the fire and used saws to access burning wooden structural members in the floor system. No damage estimate was available at press time but Chief Johnson reported that the home did suffer significant smoke damage throughout, along with damage to the roof and floor system.

The fire appeared to be caused from heat from a wood stove chimney igniting the wooden shingle roof. It is possible that the source of the heat could have been a chimney fire that spread sparks and heat onto the roofing and ground on the side of the structure, chief Johnson reported.

"It was very fortunate that the occupants discovered the fire when they did," chief Johnson said. "The fire was burning into the floor system of the home and would have made it difficult to evacuate safely in a short period of time."

On Monday morning at about 9 a.m., a neighbor reported a fire in a house on Sagebrush Lane east of Sisters. According to Cloverdale Fire District Chief Thad Olsen, the fire was in the kitchen and living room when firefighters arrived. Quick action prevented significant structural involvement.

Chief Olsen estimated about $50,000 in damage to the rooms and contents and noted that the entire house took smoke damage. He estimated about $40,000 in damage to the building.

The cause of that fire remains under investigation.

Chief Olsen noted that Cloverdale volunteers train with Sisters regularly and the cooperative training is paying off.

"We appreciate the cooperation we have with Sisters district," he said. "It made for a successful operation."