At approximately 9:30 AM, Thursday, Oct. 8, Depoe Bay Fire District responded to a report of a structure fire off Immonen Road Northeast of Salishan in Gleneden Beach. Multiple 911 callers reported seeing heavy fire and smoke coming from a home. Depoe Bay Firefighters were already on an active call in the area assisting law enforcement, and were able to respond quickly from the time of call. As it turned out, the fire was not on Immonen road, but on Millport Slough, which is just off Immonen Rd. Depoe Bay Fire Chief Joshua Williams was the first person on scene and reported nearly fully involved conditions with heavy fire and smoke blowing from both levels of the home. It was quickly determined the occupants were not home and no rescue was necessary. Fire units immediately transitioned into a defensive mode meaning the building was a total loss, and priority had shifted to saving nearby structures. There were no reported injuries on scene. Firefighters were challenged by this fire from the beginning. According to Bill Johnson, Depoe Bay Assistant Chief “this home has one way in and one way out, with the closest fire hydrant over a mile away through narrow dirt roads”. Assistant Chief Johnson continued with “water to fight the fire had to be hauled in by multiple water tenders who had to make multiple trips”. The structure was originally built over 100 years ago, but had been updated several times. The house was approximately 5000 sq feet and Firefighters estimate the loss to total over $500,000. The fire is still under investigation and the Depoe Bay Fire District is working with the Oregon State Fire Marshall, and the Lincoln County Fire Investigation Team to determine a cause.
