CHICKEN COOP HEAT LAMP SPARKS 2-ALARM FIRE

Sweet Home Fire Dist.

A fire that began in a chicken coop rapidly spread to a home today in Sweet Home.  The residents narrowly escaped, one of them pulled from the window of the burning building by bystanders.  The initial 911 call came in at 9:02 am from a neighbor who first noticed the fire burning at the top of the chicken coop.  The first-arriving fire unit was on scene at 9:08 am, finding 2/3 of the home not visible through the flames.  Fire had spread through the carport and engulfed an apartment at the back of the home, as well as the main house.  Firefighters from Sweet Home Fire, Lebanon Fire, and Brownsville Fire fought the two-alarm blaze, with units from Halsey Fire and Lebanon Fire responding to cover the Fire District for other emergencies.  A downed, live power-line made access to the fire and to a water source challenging, adding a significant hazard for firefighters.  The fire was brought under control by 10:13 am, but firefighters remained on scene working to overhaul the structure for another two and a half hours, ensuring that the fire was completely extinguished.  The structure and it's contents were completely destroyed, displacing the five occupants.  Investigators determined that the fire was started by a heat lamp in the chicken coop.