Fire damages rural Newberg home

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue photo##Smoke pours from the rural Newberg home Monday afternoon.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue photo##Several animals were rescued when a fire heavily damaged a Newberg home The residents were not home at the time.

NEWBERG — A rural Newberg home was heavily damaged by a two-alarm fire Monday afternoon.

An off-duty Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue firefighter noticed smoke coming from the home on Northeast Sunny Acres Lane as he was driving through the area about 4 p.m. and called 911, according to TVF&R spokesperson Kim Haughn.

Due to a lack of hydrants in the area, water tenders had to shuttle water to the scene. The fire took more than an hour to extinguish because it had spread quickly through the house. 

There was no one home when the fire broke out. Firefighters rescued two dogs and one cat. Another cat died.

The house suffered significant fire, smoke and water damage. The cause was determined to be accidental, and the fire started in the air filtration system of the HVAC unit.

The home was not equipped with fire sprinklers. When a fire sprinkler system is present, the likelihood of injuries and costly damage is dramatically reduced. More information about fire sprinkler systems can be found at tvfr.com. 

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue was assisted by agencies from Carlton, Dayton, Dundee, Gaston, McMinnville and Yamhill. Yamhill County Public Works assisted with traffic control at the scene.