A 72-year-old man died in a Friday morning fire on Philomath’s west end despite a rescue attempt by firefighters who pulled him from the home minutes after arriving on scene. The fire broke out in the 600 block of Main Street.
Philomath Fire and Rescue was dispatched at 7:25 a.m. after a passerby reported the fire to 911, the agency reported. Fire Chief Chancy Ferguson said the first crew arrived three minutes later and found heavy fire coming from the rear windows of the home and smoke showing throughout the structure.
Firefighters broke through a door to enter the residence and found the victim, Ferguson said. Medical crews determined that he was deceased at the scene. A continued search of the home found no additional victims. No pets were found during the searches and no first responders were injured.
Ferguson said crews had the fire under control by 7:50 a.m. and completely overhauled by 9 a.m.
An Oregon State Fire Marshal deputy arrived at 9:22 a.m. and is investigating the cause of the fire, assisted by the Corvallis Fire Department’s fire investigation team. Philomath Fire and Rescue described the incident as a “room-and-contents fire” that caused some damage to the structure of the residence.
The home, a modest five-room residence located east of The Woodsman, was built in 1962 and sits on a one-third of an acre lot, according to Benton County assessor records. Attached to the home is a 329-square-foot carport and a 217-square-foot utility shed.
The response closed Highway 20 in both directions until one lane reopened at 9:26 a.m. The highway was fully reopened later in the morning.
The Philomath Fire and Rescue response included two fire engines, a ladder truck, a rescue unit, two command vehicles and a drone, along with 14 responders and officers. The agency’s last resources cleared the scene at 12:26 p.m.
Assisting agencies included the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Corvallis Fire Department, Philomath Police Department, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon State Fire Marshal, Corvallis Regional Communications Center, the Willamette Valley First Responder Chaplains and the Monroe Rural Fire Protection District.
Chaplains accompanied deputies during the next-of-kin notification. BCSO declined to confirm the identity of the victim and referred the question to the State Fire Marshal, who did not immediately respond.
