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Last night, Albany Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 538 38th Avenue SE, Albany, OR. The fire was reported at 9:38 p.m. to the Linn County Dispatch Center. The sole resident safely evacuated the home prior to AFD arrival. Crews worked to extinguish the fire and had it under control at approximately 10:19 p.m. Tangent and Corvallis Fire Departments responded to Albany to cover emergency calls in the City of Albany.
The fire began on the exterior of the home due to improperly discarded fire place ashes. Current cost of the house fire is estimated at $100,000. The resident does have home owner's insurance but the Red Cross was contacted to provide emergency assistance.
Coals and ashes can remain hot enough to begin new fires for many days. Treat all coals and ashes as if they are hot. AFD recommends the following steps to keep your home safe:
*Allow ashes to cool completely in a fireplace or fire pit.
*Transfer ashes to a metal bucket.
*Keep metal bucket outside, away from combustibles.
*Wet the metal container and ashes down.
*DO NOT place any other combustibles, such as cigarettes, in the metal container.
*DO NOT use a combustible container for ashes.