Pets Perish in Two Alarm Keizer, Oregon Blaze

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The Keizer Fire District responded to the report of a house fire shortly after 2:00 am on Thursday, October 6, 2011. When units arrived on scene they observed heavy smoke and flames coming from the front and rear of the single family residence.

The call was received at 2:17 am for a fire at 565 Hornet Dr N in Keizer. Arriving fire crews found fire burning in the garage and kitchen area of the residence. The flames had traveled into the attic space and were spreading through the residence.

Firefighters were able to make a good aggressive stop of the fire. It was stopped from extending further from the garage and kitchen to the rest of the home stated Fire Chief Jeff Cowan. Fire was found in the attic and under the house in the crawl space, it was difficult to extinguish the fire and created a very dangerous environment for firefighters to work in.

The home sustained substantial fire and smoke damage. Damage to the residence was estimated at $165,000 and damage to the contents was estimated to be $75,000. One vehicle that was parked in the garage was also damaged in the fire; its estimated loss is $3,000.

The home is owned and occupied by Ray and Donna Wilson. The Wilsons were out of town during the fire and had a house sitter to care for their four animals and the home. The house sitter had gone to bed around 1:30 am and awoke 30 minutes later to the smell of smoke. Upon investigation she found the garage on fire. The house sitter then attempted to rescue the two dogs and two cats in the home before exiting herself. There were no working smoke alarms in the home.

Five engines, three medics, one duty officer vehicle, one air rig, one ladder truck, one fire investigation vehicle and 25 firefighters responded to the incident. No human injuries were reported: however one dog and two cats perished in the fire. Marion County Fire District One and Salem Fire Department responded as mutual aid to the call. One person was transported to the hospital with injuries.

Fire officials would like to remind residents to check your smoke alarms to ensure they are in working order. There should be at least one smoke alarm in every home, placed outside of sleeping areas. For two story homes a smoke alarm should be placed on each floor.

Keizer Fire recommends a smoke alarm on each floor, one in each bedroom and a smoke alarm outside the sleeping areas. This helps to ensure quick notification in case of a fire. If there is a fire in your home, exit immediately and do not return back into the home for anything.



Author:Keizer Fire District Press Release