Fire severely damaged a house on Glenn Street in Vale Saturday night. Between 25 and 30 firefighters battled the blaze. No injuries were reported. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
VALE – A fire ignited in couch cushions destroyed a home on Glen Street Saturday night.
Crews from Vale Fire & Ambulance were dispatched to the scene at about 9:15 p.m. where they discovered the house was engulfed with flames. According to the Malheur County Assessor’s Office, the home is owned by Steven Reynolds.
“When I arrived on the scene I had fire coming out both sides of the building,” said Jess Tolman, Vale Fire & Rescue chief.
Tolman said the man who owned the home “apparently had couch cushions get too close to a space heater and caught fire.”
“So, he extinguished them, then set them outside and they reignited,” said Tolman.
Tolman said the homeowner placed the cushions against the side of the house.
“It (the fire) started to work up the side of the house,” said Tolman.
Two sheds in the back of the house also caught fire, said Tolman.
Firefighters from across the local area fought the house blaze on Glenn Street Saturday night in Vale. The fire left behind scorched debris. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
Tolman said firefighters from Ontario and Fruitland also responded to the blaze. Between 25 and 30 firefighters were at the fire, he said. Vale Fire & Ambulance deployed two engines, an ambulance and a ladder truck to the blaze.
Fruitland and Ontario each supplied an engine to battle the fire.
The structure of the house made the fire especially difficult to extinguish, said Tolman.
The fire on Glenn Street Saturday night climbed into the attic of the home and destroyed part of the roof. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
“The problem was the amount of fuel load that was there. They had reinforced the attic from underneath so we couldn’t attack the fire. Once it reached the attic, we really had no way to gain access to it,” said Tolman.
He said the homeowner was not injured.
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