WALDPORT – A deputy state fire marshal is investigating the cause of a house fire that extensively damaged a home Friday on Southwest Pacific View Street in Waldport.
Smoke from the mid-morning fire could be seen around much of the city as crews from three departments fought the blaze. Four occupants of the house and four of their five dogs escaped unharmed.
“Sadly, the oldest did not survive even after crews attempted several rounds of CPR on the dog,” the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue District said in a news release Saturday.
The fire started in the back of the house near an enclosed hot tub area and spread into a rear bedroom, firefighters said. The alarm was called in at 10:38 a.m.
In addition to COCF&R crews and equipment, there were responders from the Yachats and Seal Rock fire departments. There were no fire hydrants in the area of narrow, one-lane roads, so water had to be pumped into tenders and then taken to the site.
“The main body of the fire was knocked down within minutes of our arrival but the flames had made its way into a narrow space between the exterior metal roofing and the ceiling of the residence,” the district said in a news release Saturday. “This caused firefighters an extensive amount of time pulling down a great amount of interior ceiling material to search and put out the remainder of the fire.”
The house – a manufactured home with a newer metal roof – and its contents suffered extensive smoke and water damage, COCF&R said.
Friends have started a GoFundMe campaign for the house’s occupants, Jim and Pete Ruddiman to help cover expenses from the fire.
