Home damaged, but dogs safe in two-alarm fire - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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Home damaged, but dogs safe in two-alarm fire Firefighters from Fire District 3 and Medford Fire-Rescue work Friday to extinguish a house fire on Edwina Street in Central Point. [Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch] Friday Jun 23, 2017 at 5:38 PM Jun 23, 2017 at 5:43 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat Out-of-town homeowners will return to a fire-damaged garage, house and pickup, but no injured pets following a Central Point fire Friday afternoon. Fire broke just after 3 p.m. at 611 Edwina Ave., according to Jackson County Fire District No. 3 Battalion Chief Aaron Backus, who said the response was swift — within four minutes — but immediately escalated to a second alarm. Mercy Flights was called to the scene because a person was still inside the house. First responders immediately removed an uninjured man from the house, according to Backus. Six engines and two battalion chiefs from District 3 and Medford Fire-Rescue responded to the scene. Neighbor Jewell Millspaugh said the man rescuers helped was the homeowners' son, who was rescuing a dog that hadn't left the house as flames from the garage spread to the attic area of the connected house. Three other dogs were already outside when the fire broke out, and all four dogs were safe, Millspaugh said. The son had been house-sitting for the owners, who are due back Sunday. Millspaugh said she noticed the fire in the garage, but said it spread "in a matter of seconds." Fire also spread to a vehicle in the driveway, a silver Nissan Titan pickup that had damage to its hood and engine area. "At one point the truck was on fire," Millspaugh said. "The flames went up really, really quick."  How and exactly where the fire started is under investigation, Backus said. Millspaugh said it started in the garage, though it's unclear how. She said there was no odor of gasoline or chemicals, and the only thing that had been running was the air conditioner. Keeping rescuers cool and safe during temperatures greater than 100 degrees was a priority, Backus said. To avoid overexertion, more firefighters are called to the scene on hot days such as Friday, so each one spends less time in the hazardous area. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.