Disaster struck the home of Jared and McKenna Beardsley on Aug. 20, as a fire forced them to evacuate their home, and they escaped with their son, James, and family dog.
Firefighters were able to quickly contain the fire and limit the damage, however, within 24 hours, something very out of the ordinary happened, according to Scappoose Fire Chief Jeff Pricher. A second fire broke out at the Beardsley's house, located at the 5000 block of E.M. Watts Road, luckily with no one at home, as the Beardsley's were staying at Jared's mother's house.
Pricher said having two fires at the same location within such a short span is something that he has seldom seen.
"The fire district is disappointed that we had to return to the same location for yet another fire, because that's not normal," Pricher said. "I can only think of [something like this] happening once or twice in the 12 years I've been here."
Pricher said this only happens in very specific circumstances in his experience, and as the district wait for the results of an investigation into the fires at the Beardsley house, he can not offer specifics.
"It's important to understand that the first fire definitely had something to do with the second fire, we just don't know what yet. Because to the best of our understanding, the first fire was put out," Pricher said. "We utilize a systematic process for determining whether or not a fire is out. Two of those key factors are we make sure we wait until certain decision points are met."
One of the points is using gas detectors to ensure there are no fumes or "significant off-gassing" that occurs that can cause another fire. A second tool Pricher said the district uses is thermal imaging.
"We will walk around the fire room and other areas with the thermal imager to look for any signs of heat," Pricher said. "In this particular case, all of those tools were utilized and our crews were like, 'Well, based on our processes, it's OK to leave.' When they had to go back to the same address, they were all puzzled because when they arrived, the building that was on fire, the fire was in a different place than where the first fire was."
Pricher said there is a correlation between the first fire and the second, but "we just don't know what it is at this point." Pricher said there will be more clarity when the fire is investigated.
GoFundMe for support of the Beardsleys
Sylvie Garver is a family friend of the Beardsley's and she has organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to help support the family and address the damages from the fire.
"I have seen the outside of the house, and James's nursery window was blown out and charred," Garver wrote on GoFundMe. "Immense smoke damage and some burn damage has been done to the house and furniture."
According to Garver's GoFundMe, the Beardsley's are currently staying with Jared's mother, and are "safe."
Here is the fundraiser link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-hope-for-the-beardsley-family
Read the full story in the August 28 edition of the Columbia County Chronicle & Chief.
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