Dog, cat saved in home fire

LISA HOBBS – News Editor

A residential fire on Cherokee Drive was likely caused by an unattended bathroom vent fan, says McMinnville Fire Chief Marty White.

“We are thinking it started in the bathroom fan,” White stated. “It was electrical. The homeowner wasn’t home. He did arrive on scene and stated that he thinks he left it on.”

An observant resident and a swift-acting department saved a dog and a cat.

“The guys were pulling back into Station 2 from a different call, and somebody flagged them down and said that there’s smoke down the road. They pulled up and saw smoke coming from the attic. They forced entry into the house. They found the attic was fully involved. We put the fire out and rescued a dog and a cat.”

As well as the homeowner’s pets, the circumstances likely saved the home from being a complete loss.

“Most of the heat, fire and smoke was still contained to the attic, so the living quarters weren’t that bad. Everything was above the ceiling. There’s a lot of damage, but I don’t believe it’s a total loss. It’s going to need some repairs. We had to pull down some ceiling to get to the fire.”

The call went out at 12 noon.