Sweet Home, OR. — A 2nd alarm house fire late Tuesday night destroyed a rural home on Port Drive, drawing a large multi-agency response and leaving a family displaced.
The 911 call came in at approximately 11:23 p.m., reporting the residence fully engulfed in flames. Dispatchers were advised that all occupants had evacuated. The residents reportedly noticed the fire and escaped immediately, leaving with only the clothes they were wearing and narrowly making it out in time.
Due to the home’s rural location, no fire hydrants were available. Fire crews relied entirely on water tender shuttle operations to supply the scene. A total of 11 apparatus responded, including three engines and four water tenders, with 27 personnel involved in the operation.
Fire suppression was complicated by a long, narrow driveway that restricted access and egress for apparatus. Only one engine was able to position close enough to the structure to pump handlines, while a second engine was staged farther down the driveway to relay water from a portable tank kept full by tender shuttles.
Despite aggressive suppression efforts, the home and all of its contents were a total loss. A vehicle parked in the driveway was also destroyed. The fire extended into nearby cedar and Douglas fir trees—some reaching approximately 100 feet tall—causing localized damage to limbs above the structure.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury but did not require transport. No civilian injuries were reported.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting the fire cause investigation. The American Red Cross has been contacted to assist the displaced family. Mutual aid was provided by Lebanon Fire District and Brownsville Fire District, with additional assistance from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and Pacific Power.
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