BEND, OR -- Bend Fire and Rescue says a recent commercial fire highlights the need for defensible space around every building, not just homes. Exterior walls of two warehouses at NE First and Olney caught fire late Sunday. Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki says firefighters’ efforts were hampered by material stored outside by the buildings’ tenants, "That storage material was a bunch of wood, pallets and windows, that made it nearly impossible for our firefighters to get around and get to the back. They had to climb over all that material to get to it, and it just allowed the fire to burn a little bit longer."

It also camouflaged a small homeless camp, which is believed to have been the source of the fire. "It was very, very hard to see this encampment from the street, or even the parking lot, Derlacki tells KBND News, "That area, where this encampment was, is only 10-feet separation between it and buildings to the west and to the south."

Derlacki urges property owners to consider defensible space around every type of building, whether it's a house, garage, barn or business, "So much of the wildfire safety that we talk about is about people’s homes and the vegetation. But, walk around all buildings you have. And look for that flammable vegetation, but also where are you stacking up wood? Do you have extra pallets there? Do you have stored extra fence posts, things like that that could catch on fire if an ember landed into it." He adds, "Looking at what’s right next to your building. If that caught on fire, how could it spread to your building? The lucky part about these buildings is most of them are all metal sided, versus a wood-sided, like most homes are. That helped prevent the fire from getting inside."

He says vegetation and combustible materials should be at least five feet away from buildings, "Keeping that material away not only protects the building from any sort of fire, whether it be wildland fire or a neighboring building’s fire, but it it also makes it where it’s harder for people to hide and set up encampments in those areas."

That Sunday evening fire caused about $50,000 in damage. While investigators believe it started in the encampment and was accidental, the exact cause was undetermined, due to the extensive damage to the camp. 

photo courtesy of Bend Fire & Rescue