Far apartment roof burning
530 SW Fall Unit M
Embers fell to the roof
Wind-blown into flames
Firefighers probed fire extension into other shake pieces and into roof itself
Small sparks had plenty of oxygen to grow a dangerous fire
Newport Firefighters Thursday afternoon got a call that flames were seen on the roof of an apartment at 530 SW Fall, unit M. When firefighters pulled up they saw a neighbor with a garden hose dousing the flames, preventing them from spreading among the old and dry shake roof shingles.
After the visible fire was put out, firefighters began hacking down through the obviously partially burned shingles and the roof surface. Other firefighters inside examined the attic crawl space to make sure the fire hadn’t penetrated. It had not.
As it turned out, those living at unit M were not home. They had apparently left for a bit not knowing that their wood stove was pumping out embers that came out the chimney hood and landed on the dry shingles. Firefighters say shake roof tiles give embers little nooks and crannies to settle in, to be fanned by breezes to a point where the whole roof can catch fire. Fortunately a neighbor from across the way saw the smoke and flames, grabbed a garden house and slowed the fire down until firefighters could get there.
Fire prevention story is never leave a fire in your wood stove, pellet stove or regular fireplace burning without you there to watch it. Secondly, always be wary of old weathered shake shingles. They are very combustible and can incubate a small ember into a full blown fire.
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