Fire heavily damaged an unoccupied rental property on Fern Road in a late-night blaze Friday, Philomath Fire and Rescue reported.
Firefighters were dispatched at 11:02 p.m. Aug. 9 to the structure fire in the 31600 block of Fern Road, which is located about 2-1/2 miles from Philomath in an area north of Airport Avenue.
“The call was received by 911 from a person who lived across the street from the property that could see flames coming from behind the house,” Philomath Fire and Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Rich Saalsaa said, adding that several other reports of the fire came in to 911 while units were responding.
“The dwelling was heavily damaged by fire and smoke with a preliminary estimated loss of $300,000,” he added. “The fire was contained to the fire area involved and fire crews were able to stop the spread of the fire to an adjacent garage which was within inches of the burning building.”
Corvallis Fire responded to a request to send an investigator on Saturday to the scene to determine the cause.
“The residence was listed as a rental and was currently unoccupied,” Saalsaa said. “There were recent renovations being made to the residence to get it ready for renting prior to the fire.”
No injuries were reported.
Philomath Fire and Rescue’s initial response included an engine and water tender. The Corvallis Fire Department also sent an engine and water tender and Monroe Rural Fire sent an engine.
“Capt. Viktor Bovbjerg responded as the duty officer and he was the first to arrive,” Saalsaa said. “Capt. Bovbjerg reported heavy fire conditions from the back of the house and upgraded the incident to a second alarm.”
The second alarm activated a response from other agencies due the size and complexity of the fire, Saalsaa said. However, the fire was ultimately brought under control with the original first-alarm units and the second alarm was canceled.