A Madras family of three is picking up the pieces after a devastating fire swept through a property on Northeast Collins Drive on May 26, destroying both the condemned house on the lot and the RV the family called home — along with more than 60 birds and other animals inside.

Jefferson County Fire & EMS responded to the blaze shortly before 9:30 a.m. Crews arrived to find the vehicle parked next to the house and the family’s RV already “engulfed,” according to interim fire chief Kasey Skaar. Both were declared a total loss.

“The vehicle next to the house, and the RV the Madras family of three lived in on the property, were both already engulfed when fire crews arrived,” Skaar said.

Animals Lost, Family Uninjured

The condemned house was not being used as a residence by any people, but it had been repurposed to shelter a large collection of animals belonging to the family, including quail, ducks, chickens, and rabbits — estimated at more than 60 animals total.

“It sounded like maybe a house that was kind of turned into a barn,” Skaar said. “Everything that was in the house didn’t make it just because of the extent of the fire.”

The family members were uninjured and managed to rescue their two dogs before firefighters arrived. Some birds housed in outdoor cages were also spared. The American Red Cross was called to assist the displaced family, a standard response by Jefferson County Fire & EMS when residents lose their homes.

Defensive Attack Due to Intensity

The intensity of the fire led crews to take a defensive approach, working from outside the structure rather than entering it.

“When you have fire kind of pushing through the roof and all the windows and everything else, it’s not a safe environment for us to be able to go in,” Skaar said. “And by then, anything inside’s a total loss.”

Crews did prevent the fire from spreading to nearby grass, containing it to the immediate property. One firefighter experienced heat exhaustion and was transported to the hospital as a precaution; no other injuries were reported among responders.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause, though Skaar noted the extensive damage makes pattern analysis difficult.

Skaar praised his crew’s response: “The fire crews had an awesome response to the fire.”