Central Point, Ore — A Central Point family is okay tonight after a 2-alarm fire tore through their garage.
Lucky to escape, thanks to a neighbor who was there in the nick of time.
In the right place, at the right time, Joe Brotton and his wife may have saved lives.
“I saw the fire come out of the building and said, that house is one fire, she said no, that’s a controlled burn,” said Brotton.
It’s not uncommon to see controlled burns on old stage road, but Brotton wanted to take a second look.
“We turned around came down the driveway she got out, I turned around, I got out and we were trying to knock on windows, her husband came out and we’re like, your house is on fire,” said Brotton.
The family made it out safely before the attached garage was fully engulfed in flames.
“Shortly after crews arrived the fire was upgraded to a second alarm fire, around 9:30 and crew quickly tried to extinguish the fire that was mostly contained to the garage and the attic,” said Ashley Blakely with Fire District 3.
The fire, Brotton says, could have been catastrophic, but he’s thankful it wasn’t.
“People could have died, she said she was going to the gym, and so if she would have opened that door the backdraft would have gotten her, a life could have been lost, I’m just glad they’re safe,” said Brotton.
The cost of the fire damage hasn’t yet been determined. Fire investigators are still looking into a cause.
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