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By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune November 12. 2014 9:04AM Blaze guts transitional home Building manager Mark Van Buskirk goes through papers and books that were tossed from the upper floor of a Medford transitional home by firefighters during a Wednesday morning blaze. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Moments before Mark Van Buskirk fled from a burning home in Medford early Wednesday, he heard a beeping smoke alarm, a noise he first thought was a cellphone. The building manager of the property at 700 Nobility Drive — which serves as a transitional house for convicts on parole and recovering substance abusers — Van Buskirk said he awakened to the beeping noise at about 4 a.m. Then his door flew open. "Someone came and opened my door and said, 'Get out, there's a fire,'" Van Buskirk said.  He ran into the hallway. Flames and smoke roared nearby. Fearing for his life, he pushed through the choking smoke and heat and raced outside. "You see those flames and the smoke. You're walking through the smoke," Van Buskirk said. In the cold and pre-dawn light, he grabbed a hose at the back of the house. But it was a futile move. The flames were already spreading too quickly. "It just started gutting the house," Van Buskirk said. "By the time it got going, it was toast. "I poured the water in there, man, and it just blew up into the bathroom and just went that way so fast. I couldn't even stop it." The blaze drew more than 22 firefighters and six engines from Medford Fire-Rescue and Jackson County Fire District 3 to the property, a 2½-story home that sits at the top of a hill at the end of the street off Kings Highway. Firefighters attacked the flames on the second floor before calling for a second alarm. All residents but one made it out without being hurt. The final resident had to jump from the second story and was taken to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center with a foot injury.  "A pretty chaotic scene from the number of people here," said fire Battalion Chief Ken Goodson. "And it's an extremely large building."  Crews controlled the flames after about 45 minutes, but continued to chase residual burns throughout the structure's attic space, walls and floors for close to two more hours. Firefighters also had to access the roof to cut vents.  "We had a pretty good frost up there, so not only was it a very tall roof, it was pretty icy," Goodson said.  A hose had to be run from a hydrant down the street up a long driveway. "It was challenging in every regard, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome," Goodson said, adding Medford police were helpful in keeping the crowd back while crews beat back the flames.  Medford police later questioned the home's residents, but did not make any arrests, department officials said. The building is insured. Residents of the transitional home must work with their parole officers to figure out their next living arrangements.  "There's a variety of options," said Jackson County Community Justice Director Shane Hagey. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Medford Fire-Rescue Chief Brian Fish said a smoldering cigarette is being looked into as the culprit.  "We've heard a couple things through interviews. We know the fire started on the second floor, but really we're going to do an extensive investigation," Goodson said. Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141112/NEWS/141119881 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->