CBFD release – On December 10th, at 4:51 P.M., The Coos Bay Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in an upstairs unit at an apartment complex located at 245 Sth Schoneman St in the Empire District. First arriving units found heavy smoke coming from second floor and roof area of the apartment. Suppression personnel found an active fire on the second floor end unit of the structure. The apartment building housed 8 units. Firefighters completed a search of the building to ensure there were no occupants. One unit was destroyed by the fire, one unit had moderate heat and smoke damage, two units suffered from water damage, and four units were not damaged. The fire originated in an upstairs kitchen of the structure and was brought under control within 25 minutes of arrival. Firefighters remained on scene for an additional 2 ½ hours mopping up, ventilating the structure, and investigating. An investigation into the cause of the fire has been conducted by the Coos Bay Fire Department and it was determined to be caused by a cooking fire. The Coos Bay Fire Department was assisted on scene by Coos Bay Police Department, North Bend Fire Department, Charleston Fire Department, Bay Cities Ambulance, Coos Bay/North Bend Water Board, Pacific Power, and American Red Cross. The Coos Bay Fire Department estimates the fire damage to the structure to be $300,000 and an additional $20,000 to the contents of the apartments. The structure was insured. No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported.
