BEND, Ore. — A fire in a third-floor apartment at the Stonebriar Apartment Complex on Bend’s east side was quickly contained Tuesday afternoon after the building’s fire sprinkler system activated, preventing the blaze from spreading and limiting damage to just three units.
Bend Fire & Rescue responded shortly before 1 p.m. to reports of fire alarms sounding in the apartment building. When firefighters arrived, they found the sprinkler system had already activated in the affected apartment due to a fire. Apartment management was in the process of evacuating residents as crews arrived on scene.
Firefighters confirmed the fire had been extinguished and shut off the sprinkler system. Once the water supply was secured, crews began removing water from the fire-damaged third-floor apartment and the two units directly below that were affected by water runoff.
The American Red Cross was called to assist displaced residents. Officials said only three of the building’s 14 apartments sustained damage, thanks to the sprinkler system’s rapid response.
According to Bend Fire & Rescue, all tenants carried renters’ insurance as required by the property management company. Residents displaced by the fire are expected to be out of their apartments for days or weeks rather than the months or years that could have resulted from a larger fire.
Fire investigators determined the blaze was caused by an unattended candle left on a shelf. The candle ignited nearby combustible materials, and the fire began to spread before heat from the flames activated the nearest sprinkler head. The sprinkler system then extinguished the fire before it could grow.
Damage from the incident is estimated at approximately $40,000 across the three affected apartments.
Fire officials noted that without the sprinkler system, the fire likely would have spread throughout the building and impacted all 14 apartments.
Bend Fire & Rescue is reminding residents to never leave candles unattended and to keep them well away from combustible materials whenever they are lit.
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