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One killed, two injured in White City blaze A ladder truck was called in late Sunday to get more photos of the extent of the blaze. Mail Tribune / Damian Mann Sunday Jan 15, 2017 at 12:56 PM Jan 16, 2017 at 11:12 AM Damian Mann Mail Tribune @reporterdm One person is dead and two others injured after a fire engulfed a house in the 3000 block of Dodge Road in White City around 11 p.m. Saturday, according to Fire District No. 3. Two of the occupants of the house were able to evacuate but were transported to the hospital with fire-related injuries, Ashley Lara, fire district spokeswoman, said. Another victim was found dead in the upper story of the two-story building, she said. "It's very, very sad," Lara said. "This is really devastating for everyone." Throughout the night and continuing Sunday morning, firefighters and investigators monitored the scene and are still trying to determine the cause of the fire. "We'll be out here for days," Lara said. On Sunday, two fire investigators were combing through the debris looking for the cause of the fire, hampered by unsafe conditions in the house itself. Most of the roof was destroyed by the blaze and the much of the flooring on the upper floor was damaged. Lara would not release the names of the victims or provide their genders. She also wouldn't release the condition of the two surviving victims other than that they suffered fire-related injuries and were transported to local medical facilities. A call came into the fire district at 11:01 p.m. after a neighbor with a relatively clear view of the house noticed a "glow." Firefighters arrived nine minutes later and declared a second-alarm fire. Two of the three occupants had evacuated at that point. At the height of the firefighting effort, seven engines were on scene along with three water tenders. Within about one hour the flames were extinguished, but firefighters worked through the night into the morning to put out hot spots. Lara said the last engine left early Sunday afternoon. She said the intensity of the fire and the damage on the top floor would have made it difficult for anyone to survive. A ladder truck was called in late Sunday to get more photos of the extent of the blaze at the two-story, 2,960 square-foot house that Jackson County records indicate was built in 1975. The house was tucked behind trees up on a hill above Dodge Road, so the extensive damage wasn't easily visible for passersby. Standing about 100 feet from the house, the roof of the house had been mostly destroyed by the blaze. Even by mid-afternoon Sunday, whiffs of smoke curled up from the house. Below the house, a large outbuilding had wrestling mats and heaters but was undamaged. Lara said it hasn't been determined yet whether the house had smoke detectors. She said most house fires occur between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Fire District No. 3 will install smoke detectors for free for residents in its service area, she said. Anyone wanting to schedule an installation and home safety check should contact Lara at 541-831-2778. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm.